With You (Nile X OC)
by AbunaiAce
Summary: A mysterious blader participates in Africa's representative selection tournament; joining Kyoya, Nile, and Demure as they battle through the World Championships. There's a lot of exciting Beyblade adventure with a bit of romance in the air. A/N: I do not own Beyblade and most of the characters in here.
1. Chapter 1

_**Herro~ This is my first story on here , so I have no idea what the #!*% I'm doing... ^^' Depending on how many reads/votes, I'll update. So, yeah... *makes awkward turtle hand gestures* Enjoy~!**_

A figure walks through the barren, rocky landscape. Despite the intense heat, the person is cloaked by a cape with a hood covering all facial features. The strange figure drags a heavy coffin by a chain up a gentle slope. He grunts while making his way up the rocky hill, sweat dripping profusely.

"Hey!" a rough voice calls from above, catching the attention of the figure making his way up.

"Huh?" The clothed head tilts up in confusion.

Five figures stand on a large rock a few ways ahead. "You're a blader, aren't you?" what seems like the leader demands. The cloaked figure merely ignores the question and continues to drag the coffin up the hill.

"Stop right there!" the leader shouts again. The other four jump of the rock and quickly surround the figure, preventing any way of escape. The leader slowly ambles his way to the front of the circle. He grins arrogantly.

"You're heading to that tournament, isn't that right?" he asks, grinning maliciously. "Well, sorry. In that case, we can't let you pass." He spreads his arms out in a gesture.

"Don't think too badly of us. It's just that the less competition we have, the better it is for us." one of the other guys speaks up, placing his hands on his waist. The figure just growls lowly under his breath, as if he was dealing his annoying pests buzzing around his head.

"Say something! No one ignores us around here, pal!" another scorns sarcastically, kicking the coffin in emphasis. The lid of the coffin shifts slightly, revealing what's inside. "Huh? They're rocks! Why are you dragging these around?"

The figure scoffs in disgust. He jumps a good length away before facing the group. He pulls out his launcher and attaches his Bey, ready to battle.

"So... you're planning to battle us all by yourself, is that it?" the leader drawls arrogantly, smirking. He and the others ready their Beys in response. "You're out of your mind, pal!"

A loud explosion blows up sand and parts of rocks into the air creating a large cloud of dust. The wind blows the figure's hood off, revealing blue-green spiky hair. The other bladers lay sprawled in various positions around him, all coughing from the dust.

"He's so strong!"

"Or just lucky! We'll remember you!"

They run off, their pathetic threat lingering in the air.

The figure snorts, before revealing his blue, feline-like eyes. He frowns, revealing sharp canines. Both of his cheeks are adorned with a strange cross-shaped scar.

Kyoya Tategami.

Kyoya continues to drag the rock-filled coffin to the top of the hill, looking down at a dusty city in the middle of the desert.

_So that's Rock City, huh?_

~("~) (~")~

Another, also cloaked figure watches the one-sided battle with amused boredom.

_So pathetic... only one is worth noting._

The person shifts from his or hers position of the rock and disappears into the haze created from the heat of the raging sun.

~("~) (~")~

Kyoya walks through the streets of Rock City, noting the plain but sturdy architectures of the building. A few giggling kids run past him, Beys clutched in their small fingers. He had ditched his load and his cloak on the edge of town, not wanting to attract too much attention.

His sharp eyes darted around, taking in appearances of soon-to-be competition. A black flutter of cloth catches his attention as someone turns into a dark alleyway. Kyoya glances down the shady path, figure already gone.

_Hmph. What a strange city._

Kyoya walks past a fruit vender and quickly makes his way to the large stadium in the center of the city before slipping into the ever growing crowd within.

~("~) (~")~

"Bladers from around the world, I thank you for coming to our country's representative selection tournament. I am the president and I bid you welcome to Savannah. In order for our country to develop and prosper, we must first make the name of Savannah known across the world. That is why our country will compete in the Beyblade World Championships!

"If we win the championships, the name, Savannah, will become well known all over the planet. For that reason, I have decided that any blader can compete in our country's representative selection tournament!

"That way, the strongest bladers in the may act as our Savannah's representatives in the World Championships! What I am looking for from you is strength, world-class level power, the ability to focus solely on victory, drive, and battle instincts of those like a wild beast.

"Bladers who are here for your own reasons from other countries, if you want to go to the World Championships, then win! Win and earns a spot as our country's representative and use the fame to spread the glory of our country's name across the globe!"

"I'll do it!" one blader declares, clenching his fist determinedly. "It works for me!"

"I'll get back at those guys from my country that eliminated me! They won't know what hit them!" another cheers, punching the air.

"Yeah!"

"Ooh, baby!"

"Huh! These guys are a bunch of morons...!" Kyoya scoffs. _But this is the only way for me to go to the World Championships. Is there someone in this crowd who can really become my partner?_ He glances around at the people behind him.

A familiar black cloth catches his eye. Kyoya stares critically at the shadowed figure, watching as he or she takes a colored card from one of the officials. The person seems to feel the weight of his gaze and tilts a covered head his way. Kyoya catches a glimpse of white teeth before the person turns away and disappears into the crowd.

~("~) (~")~

"Hey, what's this card for anyway?" a dark skinned guy asks the rather large person next to him. He holds up a yellow card in his slim fingers.

"What's wrong with you? You don't even know what that thing is? Look there!" The hefty guy nods his head to the bladers around him. The first guy notices other people holding cards as well. "There are four types of cards: blue, red, yellow, and green. They're used to divide us into groups."

"Divide into groups?" he repeats, dumbfounded.

~("~) (~")~

A few ways away, Kyoya hums in boredom and irritation. _This is taking way too long..._ He inconspicuously searches for the cloaked figure that piqued his interest earlier, but could not find a trace of him or her.

"Listen to me, right now! I declare Savannah's Beyblade World Championship's Representatives Selection Tournament to be open!" The president flings his arms wide in a welcoming gesture.

The gathered Beybladers cheer in response.

~("~) (~")~

The bladers divide into the groups designated by their card color. Kyoya, who is standing on the red stadium, stares evenly at his opponents.

"Hm..." _Too bad for you all, I'm going to be winning this!_ He smirks ever so slightly.

"Each group will fight in a battle royal in your specifically color coded arena. The last blader standing in each group will come forward and receive one of only four winner's bracelets!" Savannah's president holds up a metallic bracelet in the air for everyone to see.

~("~) (~")~

"I get it, there are four members of the representative team: three regular and one substitute. And there are four groups divided by color." the dark skinned guy states in epiphany.

"So that means that the bladers who win the battle royal and get a bracelet will become the representatives." his overweight friend exclaims, pulling out his Bey.

~("~) (~")~

"The time has come, everyone! Let the battle begin!" The president sweeps his arm dramatically.

"3... 2... 1...! Let it rip!" everyone chants in unison. They all launch their Beys at once into their respective stadiums.

~("~) (~")~

_**Please comment and whatever you're supposed to do on here... ('-.-) I really need to get on more.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Updating... 1... 2... 3...! **_

"You're in my way! Move it, now!" Kyoya declares. His Bey, Rock Leone, blasts through the row of Beys. His green Bey bumps into a few others. "Take care of this, Leone! Special Move: King Lion Tearing Blast!"

His Bey creates a flurry of three twisters that tears through the stadium. Lightning flashes as harsh winds rip across everyone.

"What is that?!" a brunette with orange bangs demands, using his arms to try and block the harsh whiplash.

"It ends here... now!" The tornados disperse per command, sending the ensnared Beys flying out of the stadium. The other bladers with red cards gasp in horror and awe. There was only one Bey left. Spinning perfectly in the center of the arena is Rock Leone.

"Impossible...!"

"Who is this guy, anyways?"

"Haha! I'm your worst nightmare, that's who!" Kyoya snickers. Rock Leone flies back into his grasp.

"Okay, red group! Your battle is over! The undisputed winner is Kyoya!" an officer announces.

"No way!"

"It's over already?" The other colored bladers gape in astonishment.

"Fair enough... but now it's my turn!" a familiar duo hair colored person declares. Another familiar cloaked person smirks underneath the shadows of their hood.

Kyoya walks up the stairs to the where the president and his officials are sitting. "I'll take that...!" He snatches one of the bracelets and holds it up to his face. Cries of dismay pulls his attention away from the piece of metal in his hand.

"Go, Vulcan Horuseus!" A yellow and black Bey pounds its way through the ranks, sending multiple Beys flying at once.

"Huh... not bad at all!" Kyoya remarks.

"Okay, no more fooling around! Break through now, Horuseus!" the brunette with orange bangs shouts. His Bey speeds towards the center of the stadium and attacks the remaining Beys, causing them to clatter against the stadiums walls. Vulcan Horuseus circles the fallen Beys before returning to its owner's hand.

"Blue group! Battle over! The winner is, Nile!"

"His name is Nile, huh?" Kyoya mutters. Nile turns and stares at his new teammate, their eyes locking in a fierce staring contest.

"What's happening?!"

"What going on?" Shouts of alarm were from the direction of the green stadium. Kyoya and Nile turned their heads to see what was causing all the commotion. The green-haired male's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the mysterious cloaked figure.

There was an eerie clicking and rattling noise coming from the dark colored Bey spinning in the middle of the arena.

_It sounds like a skeleton moving in a horror movie or something like that, _Kyoya smirks. _How scary…_

The other bladers shudder at the horrible noise. Nile, however, wasn't focused on that. He noticed that any Bey unfortunate enough to veer into a certain radius around the dark Bey would suddenly be consumed by a strange darkness, wobble, and then fall to its side as if it were dead.

_What's happening? I've never seen something like that happen before...!_

The two watched in interest as the dark one in the center forced the remaining Beys out of the stadium with surprising ease.

"Green group is finished! Winner is Bones!"

Said person catches the dark Bey in between their index and middle finger before turning to walk up towards the podium.

Kyoya and Nile both stare as the cloaked figure steps beside the two, bracelet in hand. _Bones, huh? Strange name to match a strange person..._

"Tune in now, only the yellow group remains...!" the president announces. The three already with bracelets turn to study the yellow group.

"Alright, listen up, Scorpio... Barrage Attack! Go now!" the dark skinned guy calls out.

"That guy..." Kyoya trails off.

"Ah! I won't lose! Hear me?!" the rather overweight male standing next to the darker guy suddenly bursts out. He throws his arms into the air, his Bey sending a shockwave that blasts the others nearby away. One of the Beys lands on top of Counter Scorpio.

"Oh no! I'm done for!" the dark skinned guy cries.

"Almost! There's one more to go!" the other shouts, ramming into the last one. The Bey flies straight into the side of the arena, the force wedging it into the wall. "Yes, sir! In your face!"

"Yellow group! Battle over! The winner is Marcus!

"Congratulations! Here we have the four heroes who have survived the fierce battle royal and we all salute you."

_So these three are my allies, _Nile glances at the others.

"Hm..." Kyoya closes his eyes, uninterested.

Bones remains silent, not moving a muscle. _Something's not right... This was way too easy..._

"Now I can go to the World Championships!" Marcus crows, holding his bracelet up to admire. Nile narrows his eyes in suspicion.

"You're just lucky!"

"Whatever!"

"Slipped right through..." The remaining bladers scorn in anger and jealousy.

"Well, then, my friends. We will begin the final selection process!" the president continues with a small grin.

"You'll what?!" Kyoya asks in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?!" Nile demands.

"A final selection process?! You mean our place as representatives hasn't been decided yet?!" Marcos questions in panic.

"Knew it..." Bones mumbles, almost too soft for the others to hear. Kyoya and Nile, the ones closest, glance at the cloaked figure in confusion.

"You four are certainly strong bladers, those bracelets are proof of skills and talents. However, sometimes in a battle royal, there are those who win by pure luck not by skill and talent."

Bones glances at Marcus' enormous figure before returning to gaze back at Savannah's president.

"We will test you further to see if you truly possess the power befitting a Savannah rep... We must be sure now, mustn't we?" The president smirks slightly, raising an eyebrow.

Their bracelets beep, alerting the four bladers.

"Hey!" Nile utters in surprise. The four of them raise their bracelets to eye level, spotting a twenty-four hour countdown now displayed.

"What's with this?!" Marcus asks.

"The rules are very simple: you must face all of the bladers here in a twenty-four hour battle and protect that bracelet until the very end. Is that clear?" the president continues explaining.

"Twenty-four hours?!" Marcus repeats in shock. The crowd ripples with surprise and excitement.

"And so, the remaining bladers may challenge these four and take the winner's bracelet they are currently wearing. After battling for twenty-four hours, the ones holding the bracelets will become the true reps. These are the rules, so good luck to you all!"

"I see, so that's how it is." Kyoya scoffs, unperturbed.

"Well, that way, any weaklings who get lucky won't hold onto their victory for very long." Nile amends.

"Sounds troublesome." Bones yawns.

"No way!" Marcus wails, grabbing his head.

"The battle stage is... all of Rock City and the three kilometers surrounding it. Do your best to protect that precious bracelet."

"You've gotta be kidding me! I worked so hard to get the right to be a representative, I won't hand it over so easily. I can tell you that much! Get outta my way, you guys!" Marcus barrels down the steps and out of the stadium before anyone could move.

"There's no other way..." Nile says firmly.

"We just have to do it." Kyoya finishes.

"Hn..." Bones hums.

"Let the final selection process begin!" The timers on their bracelets start, counting down from twenty-four hours. The remaining bladers rush forward to the podium, all trying to get their hands on the bracelet.

"Let it rip!" Everyone releases their Beys. The three remaining battle royal winners push their way out of the stadium before splitting up; Nile and Kyoya one way, Bones the other.

~("~) (~")~

A series of large explosions occur, one right after the other. Beys are blasted backwards with enough force to dent the cement walls of the nearby buildings. Kyoya stands strongly in front of the fallen bladers that dare to challenge him. He catches Rock Leone as it flies back towards its owner.

"Come back and challenge me again when you're all grown up, kiddies." he snickers.

"Push through, Horuseus!" Nile commands, his Bey blasting through another wave of never ending Beys.

"S-So strong! These guys are too strong for us!" one of the challengers stutters.

"You're pretty good, Nile." Kyoya comments, the two are back to back in the middle of a dusty road.

"So are you, Kyoya." Nile returns.

"I found them!"

"Over here!"

"Just hand over your bracelets!" Another group of challengers arrive on the scene.

"Huh. Here we go again." Kyoya sighs in annoyance.

They're just going to keep coming. I'm leaving." Nile turns back around.

"You're running away?"

"There are still twenty hours left to kill. My policy is to avoid meaningless battles."

"Hm. Maybe I overestimated you, Nile..."

"What did you say? If you want to fight, go ahead and fight. However, isn't it your goal to protect that bracelet? Become a representative of this country and go out into the world?! Isn't that what's important?!"

"That's why I will fight."

"Huh?"

"I have an opponent who I must and will defeat at the World Championships. In order to stand before him without shame, I cannot turn my back on the likes of them." Kyoya glances pointedly at the gaining bladers. He places his Bey in the launcher in ready position.

"I understand... You are right. I'll fight with you!" Nile also places his Bey in his launcher with a small smile crossing his features.

"That's it, you're going to down! Kyoya! Nile!" one of the challengers declares. They all launch their Beys at once.

"Let it rip!" Kyoya and Nile easily rip through their Beys.

"What up? I thought your policy was to avoid meaningless battles." Kyoya smirks.

"Give it a rest... I do whatever I feel like." Nile retorts.

Another blader sneaks up behind the two. "I got you now, Nile!"

He launches his own Bey and attacks Vulcan Horuseus from its blind spot. Horuseus flies forward but remains spinning.

"Huh... It's still spinning...!" The attacker ducks into an alley with his Bey not far behind.

"Where'd he go? Horuseus, come!" Nile chases after him, leaving Kyoya to deal with the rest. He runs down the alley into a dead end littered with old scrap. "Show yourselves!"

"Let it rip!" multiple voices return. Half a dozen Bey come flying out behind the junk, attacking Horuseus on all sides.

"Oh, no!"

"Ha! You let your guard down, Nile!" The other attackers pop up from their hiding places.

"An ambush, huh?" Nile asks rhetorically. "Now that's a dirty trick."

"Ha! Save it! It doesn't matter how you do it as long as your win in the end!" the first one replies uncaringly.

"C'mon, let's get him now!" another rallies. Their Beys all head straight towards Nile's.

"Hey, can I get in on the match?" another voice calls out. A green Bey races out from nowhere and knocks the others back.

"Huh? What was that?"

Kyoya jumps down onto a trash bin from the roof of a building. "You boys should learn how to play fair and square."

"Oh, wow, it's Kyoya!" his voice quivering with fear.

"B-But how? How did you already defeat those other bladers?"

"Ha... You don't know me very well, do ya?" Kyoya taunts. "Do it now, Nile! Hit 'em really hard!"

"Horuseus!"

There's a large column of blinding light that disappears after a few seconds, leaving behind a dust-filled explosion.

"Wah!" The attackers lay sprawled on the earth, their Beys scattered. Nile catches Horuseus.

"Heh, now that was fun, wasn't it?" Kyoya grins smugly, standing next to the duo hair colored blader.

"Thanks a lot, Kyoya, but why did you help me?" Nile questions.

"I wasn't planning on helping you. I just did what I felt like." Kyoya throws Nile's own words back at his face.

Nile narrows his eyes. "Hm..."

A large, black mushroom cloud forms a few ways ahead followed by a series of loud booms. "Must be Bones..." Kyoya remarks casually. Nile notes how he doesn't include Marcus' name.

"W-Woah... Those two are... amazing...! Just like other one..." the dark skinned guy murmurs to himself from behind a crate.

~("~) (~")~

_**Message me~! I love talking to humans. .-.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Don't you guys ever find it weird how they yell 'let it rip?' I always think of something else... O_o' Am I the only one? **_

"Nile, why did you enter this selection tournament?" Kyoya asks as they walk down the quiet streets of Rock City. The sun had already begun to set.

"It was my only chance, there just weren't any good bladers in my own country. Since the World Championships is run on teams, there was no other way for me to qualify for it. I knew that if I came here I could meet strong bladers. If I get into the World Championships I can battle strong ones. That's why I entered." Niles explains.

"I see..."

"So, what about you, Kyoya? You mentioned that there is an opponent you need to defeat in the World Championships."

Kyoya dodges the question. "Nile, you've got the right stuff, buddy."

"Huh?"

"Hey, you guys!" a voice calls. Nile and Kyoya whip around and pulls out their Beys thinking it to be another ambush of some sort.

Marcus pokes his head out from a covered pot hole in the road. "Ah!"

"Oh, it's you..." They lower their launchers.

"Heheh... Come down here, guys..." Marcus beckons creepily. Kyoya and Nile glance at each other before shrugging and following Marcus down the man hole. They carefully make their way down rungs attached to the side before landing in a spacious underground room.

"An underground shelter?" Kyoya asks in amazement.

"Yeah, there are several large underground shelters scattered around Rock City. It's a good thing I looked that up before coming here." Marcus waves his hand around at the stacked boxes of provisions.

"Have you been hiding here this whole time?" Nile asks in a slightly accusing tone.

"What's the point of fighting all of those goofballs? If we stay hidden in here, for the rest of the time we'll automatically get the representative positions, isn't that right?"

"I suppose so... Hey, so, Marcus..." Kyoya begins.

"Huh?"

"Why did you enter this selection tournament, anyway?"

"In my country, there's a super strong talented team of bladers. There's no way I'd be able to beat them in a fair fight. But in this country tournament, I stand a good chance of winning for sure! Yeah, so there you have it!" Marcus replies, confident in his answer.

"In other words, you ran away from a fight..."

"Huh, say what?"

"Marcus..."

"Hmph...!"

"You totally fail the test...!"

"Ehh?!"

There's sudden pounding on the door, alerting the three that there are others trying to get in as well.

"It's the others!" Marcus runs to the door and pushes back against it. "There're too many of them! If they get in here, we're doomed!"

"Move! I'll send them all flying at once!" Kyoya snarls fiercely.

"D-Don't do it! I-If you battle in a place like this, we'll get caught in the crossfire, too! Quick, grab those! Bring them over here right now!" Marcus points at the barrels on the other side of the room.

"Guess there's no choice!" Nile growls. They run over to the other side. As soon as they step onto the blue tarp covering the ground, they begin to fall into a deep hole.

"Ahhh!"

"H-Hey! Wh-Whaaat...?!"

They scramble to grab onto the blue tarp to catch their fall. Marcus steps on the other end, leaving Kyoya and Nile hanging.

"Oops, sorry, I forgot to tell you that there's a hole in the ground over here." Marcus apologizes sarcastically.

"Ergh... Marcus... why you!"

"You shouldn't have let your guard down! This is a competition for a chance to be a representative for the World Championships after all!"

"But... But, why? You already have a bracelet, so what's the deal?" Nile demands. Marcus chuckles evilly. Two other guys walk up on either side of him, also laughing. "Who are you guys?"

"Actually, my friends here are participating in the selection tournaments as well! They do as I say, so I want to go to the Championships as Team Marcus! Get it? … Louie! Tony!" He turns to the two guys respectively. They reach down and take the bracelets.

"Hey, look on the bright side, fellas..." Louie starts.

"... we'll send you a postcard from the World Championships, not to worry." Tony finishes with a grin.

"What about Bones? The fourth bracelet?" Kyoya questions, trying to stall for time.

Marcus and the other two glance at each other nervously with what seems like frightened appearances. "N-None of your business!"

"Eh?"

Marcus regains his confidence and stands up once more. "Bye bye, now! Have a nice trip!" He steps back from the tarp, letting Nile and Kyoya drop into the sewers.

"Ahh!"

"C'mon, let's go!" Marcus commands.

"Yeah!"

As they turn tail and run, Marcus unnoticeably shivers. _Bones..._

~("~) (~")~

Nile and Kyoya land in the sewers, creating a large splashes.

"Marcus, that jerk!" Kyoya snarls.

"He's mine!" Nile threatens. They fume for a few moments before looking around at their surroundings. "How do we get out of this dump?" They climb out of the water, shaking themselves dry.

A small light appears at the one end of the dark tunnel. The two bladers squint and spot a familiar cloaked figure carrying a lantern.

"Bones?!"

Said person wordlessly beckons them to follow as the figure turns around and heads down the passageway. The two quickly hurry after the mysterious person, falling into step next to the cloaked blader.

"How did you find us?" Kyoya asks, trying to dry himself by wringing out his clothes.

"I was sleeping down here. You two woke me up." Bones replies lowly.

Kyoya looks around at the dark and damp setting. "Why would you sleep here...?"

"No one comes down here. It's peaceful..." Bones holds up a pale wrist, flashing a familiar metallic bracelet. It showed there was about nine hours left of the battle. Kyoya and Nile growl, both remembering what had happened to theirs. "... I'm assuming Marcus got to you both."

"Huh? How did you know?" Nile asks in surprise. "Come to think of it, when we mentioned your name, he seemed pretty nervous..." Bones smirked, although no one else could see it.

"He tried to take mine as well. Let's just say, I taught him an unforgettable lesson." Bones replies shortly. Nile raises an eyebrow at the dark tone insinuated.

"Say, Bones, why'd you come to this selection tournament in the first place?" Kyoya asks. Nile stares at him questioningly.

_He's been asking everyone with a bracelet this question... What's he up to?_

"... Where I'm from, some people aren't allowed to participate. I'm one of those people... So, I came here in order to win a spot as representative." Bones explains carefully.

"Hm..."

"What kind of people?" Nile asks out of curiosity.

Bones ignores the question and points to a ladder, "... We're here." They all climbed out of another man hole and are greeted with the rising full moon.

"I'll be leaving you here. I have other matters to attend to." Bones mutters before turning around the opposite direction.

"Well, thanks for the help, anyways." Kyoya begrudgingly calls out to Bones' retreating form. The cloaked figure merely raises an arm in a backwards farewell before disappearing in the darkness.

Not even five minutes later, Kyoya and Nile could hear yells as well as the familiar sounds of Beys clashing.

~("~) (~")~

"Where'd those rats run off to?" Kyoya and Nile had run up and down what seemed like every single street of Rock City in search of Marcus and his two 'friends.'

"Hey, Kyoya! Nile!" another voice resounds from behind the pair. They both pivot around to identify the noise. The dark skinned guy from the yellow group stands before them with his Bey already in his launcher, ready to attack. "I challenge you! Battle me, right now!"

The two bladers sigh in exasperation. "I don't have the bracelet anymore..."

"Neither do I." They both hold up their wrists to prove that they, in fact, do not have the metallic bracelets anymore.

"Huh?" the guy asks in pure shock. _How could anyone win against them...?_

"We don't have time to waste battling with you! Marcus, you swine, where'd you go?!" Kyoya demands to no one in particular.

"Marcus...?" the other guy repeats softly. _Why him?_

Nile clenches his fists. "He doesn't have the guts to stay in town and there are plenty of places to hide outside."

"Uh... well... you know... If you're looking for Marcus, he's right over there..." the dark skinned guy points to a nearby rock formation in the distance, just outside of town.

"What?" Kyoya and Nile ask in unison. "You sure?"

"Yeah... Why do you need him anyways?"

"We'll explain while we run... C'mon!" Kyoya demands, taking off. Nile follows, not far behind.

As they sprint past buildings that line either side of the street. One of them suddenly explodes just as they are passing by. Kyoya, Nile, and the other all raise their arms to their face, coughing as debris rains down around them. A dark figure steps out from the cloud of dust.

"Bones!"

Said person whips his or her cloaked head around to face the trio standing there in surprise. "Ah... you two again." The dark skinned guy's eyes widen at the scene inside the building. He could see at least a dozen bodies sprawled across the floor with their Beys motionless beside them.

"What happened?" Nile questions, waving the dust away from his face.

The black cloak rustles as the person inside shrugs. "They decided to ambush me inside... What idiots." The figure raises the bracelet to eye level. "Seven and a half hours to go..." Kyoya and Nile jolt back into reality.

"Bones, I challenge you to a battle!" the dark skinned person behind the two raises his launcher, albeit a bit shakily. Bones sighs. Before the cloaked blader could reply, Kyoya cuts into their conversation.

"We've gotta hurry and get our bracelets back! No time for battling, now!" he snarls impatiently.

"You still haven't found them, yet?" Bones deadpans. The two shake their head in slight embarrassment.

"Well... we know where he is now... Thanks to him." Nile argues, tilting his head towards said person.

"Might as well follow..." Bones looks up at the moon, high in the starry night. "There's nothing to do here, anyways." The four of them take off once more.

"How are we going to reach them in time?!" Nile asks as they speed over rocky terrain. Kyoya frowns in deep thought.

"I know a shortcut..." Bones mutters, veering off to one side. The other three follow, placing their fate into Bones' pale hands.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: That's all, folks!**_

_**Kyoya: You sound like an idiot... **_

_**Demure: *sweatdrops***_

_**Abunai: Shaddup! You wish you were as awesome as I am!**_

_**Kyoya: Tch... As if...**_

_**Abunai: *sticks out tongue* You know, if you aren't nice to me, I'll make you do something super awkward in the next chapter! I am the author, afterall... *grins evilly* **_

_**Kyoya: *eyes widen* You wouldn't...**_

_**Abunai: Try me! **_

_***Kyoya growls***_

_**Demure: *chuckles nervously* Alright... Let's all calm down now...**_

_**Abunai: Never! I will always like cheese! **_

_***Kyoya and Demure sweatdrop***_


	4. Chapter 4

_**WARNING: This chapter is a filler. If you are pregnant, are allergic to cheese, have dry elbow skin, please take necessary precautions when reading this. Your shoes may be at risk. **_

"Seven hours to go..." Tony pants as they take a short break from sprinting.

"If we can keep running away for seven hours, we'll become this country's representatives!" Louie adds, smirking.

"Haha! Now that we made it this far, there's nothing to worry about!" Marcus laughs, wiping his sweat away from his forehead.

"Oh, you've got plenty to worry about!" a familiar voice calls from behind.

"Huh?!" They turn around. "Ah!"

Kyoya and Nile stand on the ledge of a protruding rock, the full moon behind them creating an epic backdrop.

"The jig is up, Marcus!" Kyoya states darkly.

"This is where it ends for you guys!" Nile threatens.

"Kyoya... Nile... How did you find us?!" Marcus asks in a panicked tone.

"He told us where you were..." Kyoya turns his head, indicating the dark skinned guy behind him.

"But... But... how?!"

"I was born and raised in the grasslands, so my eyesight is much sharper than normal." he explains.

"Wh-What?!"

"We're gonna take back what you took from us!" Nile snarls.

"Get ready because we're battling now!" Kyoya informs them.

"Ah!"

"Uh-oh!"

"Let it rip!"

"They're Beys are a defense type Rock Aries ED145D and a stamina type Thermal Gemios T125S. Aquario is just bait... They're planning a Pincer Attack!" the dark skinned guy thinks aloud.

"You can see that from here?" Nile asks in mild disbelief. He nods.

"Interesting... You may be useful!" Kyoya mutters. He and Nile both veer their Beys to avoid the trap before launching their own attacks. "Special Move: King Lion Tearing Blast!"

"Special Move: Mystic Zone! Ha!"

The two Beys attack head-on, resulting in a large explosion with a bright flash of light.

~("~) (~")~

"Eh? What's happening?" another voice drones out from behind a slightly scorched rock. A cloaked figure steps out from behind, stretching.

"Where we you?" Kyoya demands hotly. Bones yawns.

"Sleeping..." Nile and Kyoya deadpan. "And stealing these..." Bones holds up three bracelets mischievously.

"Hey!"

"Calm down... I was only joking..." Bones tosses Kyoya the three bracelets. He hands one to Nile before attaching his to his wrist.

"When did you even get them?" Kyoya demands, staring at Bones intently. The cloaked figure merely shrugs, infuriating the short-tempered green-haired blader.

Nile glances behind them. "Do you think we went a little overboard?" Bones jumps up onto the rock they are on and stands next to the Egyptian blader. They all turn to glance at the dark, smoking pit where Marcus and his two friends are currently laying in the middle of.

The dark skinned guy chuckles nervously with a sweatdrop at the back of his afro. "Ahahahah..." Kyoya looks at the extra bracelet.

"Hey, you, what's your name?" he demands roughly, turning towards the laughing blader to his right.

"My name? My name is Demure..."

"Hold this...!" Kyoya shoves the bracelet into Demure's hands. He fumbles with it a bit before finally catching it firmly within his grasp.

"B-But why?" Demure looks up at Kyoya in confusion.

"Just take it... It's what you want, right?" Bones drawls boredly, fiddling the bracelet on his or her wrist.

"Well, yes… But…"

"I'm giving it to you. Show me you can protect it to the end." Kyoya explains.

"Hm!" Demure nods determinedly and clips the bracelet around his wrist.

"Get 'em!"

"There over there!"

The four look up, noticing an enormous crowd of bladers standing before. They all have their launchers loaded and ready.

"We're gonna take on the world!" Kyoya declares.

"Boom, baby!" Nile cheers.

"... What a drag..." Bones mutters.

"Hm, okay!" Demure nods. They run towards the group of bladers, excited for what fate had in store for them.

"Let it rip!"

~("~) (~")~

"That was anticlimactic..." Bones states bluntly, lounging precariously on an overhang of rock.

Kyoya scowls deeply. "Like you're the one to talk, you didn't even bother…" As the other three had defeated each challenger with their Beys, Bones had decided that flinging pebbles would be more effective.

Bones waves him off. "Too much effort." Kyoya grunts and turns his head with his eyes closed. Demure chuckles softly while Nile smirks.

_What an interesting mix of bladers…_

~("~) (~")~

Four bracelets beep simultaneously, signaling the end of the battle. "It looks like this is it. We're the official reps of Savannah!" Nile exclaims, inspecting his bracelet.

"Let's head back." Kyoya says, leading the way.

"Say, Demure..." Bones starts.

"Hm?"

"I bet if you wore glasses, you would have X-ray vision..." Bones thinks aloud quite randomly. Demure doesn't know how to reply.

Nile laughs while Kyoya smiles faintly. Bones rests a hand on Demure's shoulder in a sarcastic comforting gesture. "Gotta watch out- never let Demure near glasses." Demure sputters incoherently.

~("~) (~")~

"Congratulations! You four are now the official representing team of Savannah! Make us proud!" the president booms at the four bladers standing before him. The officials collect the bracelets from them.

"I never want to see one of those ever again..." Nile sighs, shaking is free wrist. Bones nods tiredly in agreement.

"Now, we must move onto the task of finalizing this team. First, what is going to be the name of this team?" one of the officials questions, pen poised above a piece of paper. The four members glance at each other.

"Team Rockheads..." Bones replies sarcastically. "Coz it's Rock City." Kyoya and Nile snicker before coughing to poorly cover it up. The president frowns slightly before laughing loudly. Demure laughs timidly along.

"... How about, Team Wild Fang." Kyoya offers after a period of silence.

"Not bad..." Nile inputs.

"I like it!" Demure exclaims.

"I couldn't care less..." Bones yawns. Kyoya shakes his head and ignores the comment.

"Team Wild Fang it is. Write that down." the president beams.

"Alright... Now we need to get information about each of you. First name and last, if you have one."

"Kyoya Tategami"

"Nile. No last name."

"It should be 'River.'" Bones elbows him in the side, jokingly. Nile gives his teammate a mock scowl.

"Ha... Ha... Like I haven't heard that one, before."

"Demure. No last name, either."

Bones has no jokes to crack about his name, unlike Nile's. "Bones..."

"No last name?" the official asks while writing it down.

Bones hesitates slightly before confirming.

"Alright... Genders... Male... Male... Male... Uh..." The official looks up from writing. "Bones...?" Everyone stares expectantly at said blader, all curious as to what gender Bones is.

Bones yanks off the hood.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: And... cut! Awesome, we only had to redo this scene about 23 times...! *pats self on back with foot***_

_**Nile: Hn.**_

_**Kyoya: Yeah, and you left all your readers on a cliff hanger. I bet they hate you now. **_

_**Abunai: What are you talking about?! It's all part of the plot line. *crosses arms***_

_**Demure: Isn't that kind of mean? **_

_**Abunai: Psht! They enjoy this kind of stuff. **_

_***heavy banging on the door***_

_**Nile: Who that? *peeks through window. Uh... I think it's for you, Abunai...**_

_***Demure joins Nile***_

_**Demure: It's a bunch of your readers... I don't think they're here for your autograph, though... It looks like they've got explosives. *sweatdrops***_

_**Kyoya: See what you did? Now we're all going to die.**_

_**Abunai: *anime tears* B-But... I'm too old to die! **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey, guys~ Sorry this update was a little late. Super busy today... T^T **_

"... Female." She had long, white-blonde hair that was pulled back on one side; large, darkly outlined eyes; and black full lips- giving her a gothic lolita look. Under her left eye were three thin black lines that trail all the way down to her chin.

Everyone blinks in shock.

"... Definitely not a guy..." Nile mutters sarcastically under his breath. Bones snickers silently.

"Why do you keep your identity hidden?" Kyoya asks in surprise. _A girl...? Never would've guessed..._

"As I mentioned before... some people are prohibited from participating in the tournament in my country. What I meant was that girls aren't allowed to Beyblade competitively at all." Bones explains patiently. "This was my only chance of getting into the Championships." Kyoya nods in understanding.

"That sounds terrible..." Demure whispers apathetically. Bones shrugs before turning back to the stunned official.

"Well, have you finished writing, yet?" she demands. The official flinches before hastily scribbling down the rest of the information needed. Nile chuckles lowly.

"You'll fit in just fine..." Kyoya smirks at the feisty, pale girl next to him. Bones grins mischievously in return.

~("~) (~")~

Four cloaked figures struggle through a sandstorm. The wind kicks up ferociously, throwing sand in everyone's face. They cough and sputter up the grainy bits of earth.

"What a terrible sandstorm!" Nile comments, shielding his eyes. The four keep pushing through the barren landscape. Everything in sight seemed to be covered in sand.

"So this is where you're form?" Kyoya asks Demure.

"What a cheery place to grow up…" Bones sneezes, the sand tickling her nose. "Bleh…"

"Yes, if we go a little further we'll see the valley!" Demure shouts to be heard over the howling winds. "It's called the Valley of Storms!" The wind dies down as they reach a wide open space surrounded by tall rocks on both sides.

"Eh?"

"We're here!"

"This is the Valley of Storms?" Kyoya asks in disbelief.

"There's nothing here…!" Nile looks around.

"Why'd we have to come here to train…?" Bones grumbles, pulling back her headphones.

"That's a pretty lame valley, storm-wise!" Kyoya snarls.

"That's not true." Demure stares off into the distance.

"Huh?" Three heads turn his way. Demure points down the valley, towards a group of dark clouds.

"I don't see anything!" Kyoya says.

"Well if we walk a little further, you will." Demure comments. Kyoya sticks close to the African blader.

"Ah, hey, wait up!" Nile and Bones rush to catch up. As they walk further down the valley, they begin to hear loud tearing noises. They round a large protruding rock and stare at the scene before them.

"Woah!" Kyoya exclaims.

"Five, huh? There are a lot, today!" Demure notes the five monstrous tornados tearing up the earth.

"You don't see something like that every day!" Bones gasps.

"That's amazing!" Nile breathes in awe.

"Yes, it is. I didn't expect so many, you know." Demure replies. "There didn't used to be so many, you know. It's really weird. Some say it's because of global warming or something like that." Kyoya ignores them and walk ahead.

"Where are you going, Kyoya?!" Nile asks in a panicked tone.

"He's finally lost it." Bones sighs.

"No, wait, Kyoya! Don't get to close!" Demure shouts warningly. "We can feel its power just fine from back here!"

"Don't be ridiculous! You really think I came all the way here just to look at a tornado?!" Kyoya asks rhetorically. His steps quicken as he walks closer and closer to the tornadoes.

"Please, Kyoya!" Demure pleads.

"Hey, what's he doing?!" Nile shouts. Bones watches with interest. _Interesting…_

Kyoya walk right up to one of the whirling cyclones and loads his launcher. "I came to master the tornado!" One of the tornadoes spins closer, the wind whipping harshly around Kyoya. "So this is a real tornado! Wahh!" The cyclone sucks Kyoya up, spinning him in circles.

"Kyoya!" Demure and Nile yell in horror.

"Do your part, Leone!" the green-haired blader launches his Bey inside the tornado. From the outside, the three could see the tornado shake violently from side to side before being ripped apart. The whiplash sweeps past the onlooker, spraying even more sand.

"Argh!"

"What recklessness!" Bones laughs, highly amused. Kyoya lands on his knees where the tornado once was, his breath coming out in quick gasps.

"Kyoya! Come back!"

Kyoya ignores the cries of his teammates and searches for Leone. He finds his Bey half concealed in the sand. "No way! Next one!" Quickly snatching up Leone, he runs towards yet another tornado.

"Stop this, Kyoya!" Nile shouts.

"If you keep this up, you're going to get hurt!" Demure warns loudly.

"Calm down, you're both too loud." Bones says drily.

"What?!"

"Kyoya can take care of himself. Just have faith in him." Bones waves them off. Demure and Nile trade uneasy glances.

"But-" Demure begins.

"He-" Nile argues.

Bones cuts them off, "Don't worry, if he gets in trouble, we'll just have to help him, right? We are a team, after all…" The two reluctantly agree with the female blader. "Meanwhile, I'm hungry."

Every day, the four of them walk to the Valley of Storms to train and every night, they drag themselves back to the nearest village to rest. Together, as Team Wild Fang.

~("~) (~")~

"Ah... finally, a chance to relax!" Bones collapses on one of the hotel couches after throwing off her cloak to one side.

Nile catches himself staring at her slightly revealing black and white, maid-like dress that adorns her shapely body. It has a black tight bodice that with a wide, but short layered skirt. The sleeves are short and frilly and are attached to a collar at her pale throat. Black sleeves cover her from elbows down to her fingertips. A good portion of her chest is left bare, offering Nile a nice view. On her feet are knee high black, knee-high boots. Around her head is a chunky set of black and red headphones.

Nile coughs and averts his gaze quickly before coming face to face with Kyoya's smirking one.

It had been a week since the selection tournaments and Team Wild Fang were now about to face their first opponents in the Championships.

"So who are we battling first?" Demure asks, sitting in an armchair much less dramatically than Bones had.

Bones rifles through the package of papers the president had dumped on them before shipping them off to a random foreign country. "Hm... It looks like we'll be facing Team Solare from Australia."

"Australia, huh?" Kyoya repeats more to himself than the others. He closes his eyes. There's more sounds of paper shuffling.

"It doesn't look like any of their members stand out too much..." Bones notes, scanning a document in her hands.

"We should scout anyways." Kyoya decides. Bones groans.

"We should sleep... and go sight-seeing later." she yawns. The self-proclaimed leader rolls his eyes.

Nile smirks, "You're always tired, Bones." Bones doesn't even bother to retaliate, they all knew the truth. The only female member of the team could sleep whenever, wherever. And waking her up was like waking the dead.

"Meh..." she waves her arm lazily in his general direction before promptly falling asleep on the couch. Demure sweatdrops. Kyoya watches her sleeping form with amusement flickering in his blue eyes.

"Fine... we'll rest first and then explore tomorrow."

~("~) (~")~

"So this is where we're battling tomorrow...?" Nile asks dubiously. The tall building before them looked more like a resort than a Beyblade stadium. Bones holds up the map, checking their location.

"Yep." She pops the 'p' and glances around, taking in the surroundings. Out in public, Bones dons her dark cloak, concealing her identity. She adjusts her headphones to block out the surrounding noise. "Think we'll see the Australian team around?" The rest of the team shrugs their shoulders dubiously.

"Let's split up and meet back at the hotel for dinner. I'm training." Kyoya says. He turns on around and strides down a random street.

"... I bet he's going to get lost..."

"Probably."

"Ahahah..." *sweatdrop*

~("~) (~")~

"C'mon, let's go to this store! They've got cool Beys on display."

Nile somehow found himself being led along by Bones as she wanders from store to store. He stares impassively at the rows of Bey parts that greet them as they walk through the door.

" #!*% ... so expensive..." Bones mutters. Her hand twitches in anticipation.

"Kyoya already told us not to create a big scene." Nile informs the blonde. Team Wild Fang had found out about Bones hobby, thieving, the hard way. She had stolen things from right under their noses and returned them only after they had panicked... for hours.

Bones sighs, "Fine, fine." They exit the shop without buying anything, Bones looking more dejected than Nile. She perks up at the sound of Beys clashing against one another. She follows the sound with Nile tailing, arriving at the scene of a Bey park.

"Go! Gasher!"

"Beat him, Wolf!"

"Woohoo!"

Bones and Nile watch as two boys around their age battle, surrounded by cheering friends. One Bey is suddenly flung out of the stadium, landing at the feet of the owner.

"Aw...!"

"Yes! I win!"

"Let's go..." Bones tugs Nile along by his wrists, causing him to blush ever so slightly. He quickly pushes it down.

She drops his hand after a few minutes, "Did you ever battle like that when you were younger?" Bones looks up into the clear blue sky with a faraway look in her shadowed eyes.

"Yes, it's how I practiced... why?" Nile replies cautiously.

"... You're lucky..." Bones whispers.

"Eh?"

"Girls from where I'm from aren't allowed to Beyblade. It's considered 'improper'" she sarcastically emphasizes the last word. "I only got this good because I practiced in secret. I was always looked down at during a battle, since I am a girl and all." Bones scowls, reminiscing the past.

"I see…" Nile trials off.

"Meh, it's all in the past. Anyways, are you hungry?" She quickly changes the topic and glances up at the sun, judging from its position she assumes it's around noon. "Let's go eat."

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: It's time for your punishment, Kyoya! *insert evil cackle***_

_***Nile and Demure sweatdrop***_

_**Kyoya: Huh?**_

_***Abunai writes on a piece of paper* *Kyoya suddenly has on a bright blue cheer leading outfit.***_

_**Nile: What the...?**_

_***Demure passes out from shock***_

_**Kyoya: What the #!*% did you do?! *tries to preserve dignity* Give me back my clothes!**_

_**Abunai: Never! *insert another evil cackle* This is my revenge! **_

_**Kyoya: Grr! **_

_***Abunai hands him a sign before he could do anything***_

_**Kyoya: What's this? *reads sign* 'Please leave comments 3' ...What am I supposed to do with this?!**_

_**Abuani: Cheer, of course. Jump and wave the sign around!**_

_***Kyoya's jaw drops and sputters indignantly* *Nile stifles snickers***_

_**Abuani: Well...? What are you waiting for? *begins writing something on piece of paper***_

_**Kyoya: I am not doing that! Are you kidding me?! Who in their right mi-**_

_***suddenly stops and starts waving the sign while jumping around enthusiastically* *Nile falls over***_

_**Abunai: You heard the guy, leave a comment, please! *peace sign***_


	6. Chapter 6

_**This actually took a while to write... Making up names, Beys, and moves is actually really difficult... O_o I hope I made it sound believable~! A/N: I have nothing against Australia. **_

"Did any of you guys find information on the Australian team?" Kyoya interrogates as Team Wild Fang sits at a table in a seaside restaurant. The four of them look extremely out of place, each one dressed to their own style. The other diners, who all wear semi-formal clothes, stare the ragtag group.

"I did learn from a bunch of girls that Team Solare, and I quote, 'are extremely hot' and 'I wish I could marry James.'" Bones reports in an all-serious tone. Nile sweatdrops, remembering those creepy girls. Kyoya deadpans.

"James is the leader," Nile adds in, quite unhelpfully, before continuing with the good stuff. "He uses an attack type, Spiral Aquario." Everyone turns towards Demure.

"Hey, wait! I actually have to see it in action before I can read its moves...!" he holds up his hands defensively. Kyoya and Nile turn away in disappointment, causing Demure to bow his head from the weight of the gloom marks. "I wish I could help..."

"We heard a bunch of comments about his surfing skills, but not much about his Beyblading ones..." Bones informs Kyoya. "I think they're trying to hide their tactics from everyone, including us."

"I see..." Kyoya closes his eyes. The waiter comes around and places their food on the table. "Let's decide match ups..."

"I'll battle first and then Kyoya can finish, it'll be an easy victoy." Nile states confidently. He looks around for objections. Demure nods his head, knowing that he is probably the weakest blader on the team. Bones yawns and continues to looks bored, somehow managing while having her cloak hiding her features.

"Well, that was easy." Kyoya amends before digging into his food. The rest quickly follow suit.

~("~) (~")~

"Welcome to the Beyblade World Championships! This is the first, grand opening match for Australia! Let's welcome both teams to the stadium! The first team coming is our very own, Team Solare! Here are James, Mike, and Jade!" the Australian DJ shouts, pumped up.

The cheer was deafening as two guys and one girl, all very tan, step up onto the podium. They wave to the crowds. The two guys blow kisses, causing the girls in audience to squeal and cheer loudly.

"And the visiting team from Africa, Team Wild Fang! Arriving here is Kyoya, Nile, Bones, and Demure!"

The four members step up to the podium, looking very out of place. The crowd boos and makes rude gestures towards the opposing team.

"What a nice bunch of people," Bones mutters sarcastically. Kyoya crosses his arms, unperturbed.

"As long as we win." Nile replies easily, seemingly not affected as well. Demure glances around nervously, slouching as he stands. The three regular members from each team shake hands before going to their side of the stadium.

"The first anticipated battle will be one-on-one! From Solare is our very own bikini model, Jade!" The audience roars with approval. "From Team Wild Fang... we have Nile!"

"Beat them up good." Bones grins darkly. Nile nods with a smirk. He turns and bumps fists with Kyoya before walking towards the stadium. Nile strides confidently towards the arena despite the negative calls from the audience.

"Get ready to lose! You're going down with style!" Jade calls, striking a pose.

"Hm." Nile readies his Bey.

"If everyone's ready... Here we go!"

The crowd begins to chant. "3... 2... 1...!"

"Let it rip!"

The bladers release their Beys at the same time. They land on the dome-like arena and begin to circle each other.

"Shadow Pisces, let's go!" Jade cheers, throwing out her arms. "Let's beat them while still looking pretty!" She strikes another pose while her Bey glows and sparkles, resulting in a huge uproar from the male audience.

"Nile, doesn't drag it out. I'm already bored." Bones informs said person blandly. The crowd quickly changes personalities and boos. Nile tilts his head slightly and nods.

"Horuseus! Let's end this, now! Special Move: Mystic Zone!"

"A special move already?" Jade squeaks. A large column of blinding light forms over the stadium. As quick as it appears, it disappears.

"What has just happened?! As quick as a flash, Jade's Pisces is thrown out of the stadium! What a quick match! The obvious winner here is Team Wild Fang's Nile!" the DJ announces, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. True to his word, Jade's Bey could be seen by all as it lay in front of her feet. Jade reels away in shock before collapsing onto the ground.

"No! How could I lose just like that?!"

The crowd is shocked silent while her team members call out her name in worry. She begins to weep dramatically, tears running down her face. Mike gently guides her back to their platform.

Nile glides confidently back to their platform to the congratulations of his teammates, well some of them.

"Great job, Nile!" Demure inputs. Kyoya merely nods and offers a smirk.

"Done? Good. Hurry and win, Kyoya." Bones says impatiently. She sprawls on the bench lazily before shifting over to make space for Nile, pushing off her headphones.

"These tournaments are troublesome…" Bone sighs.

"Glad you're not battling?" Nile teases. She grins, flashing white teeth in the darkness of her hood.

"You don't even know the beginning of it."

They trade smirks before turning back to the Bey stadium.

"We're down to the second match! If Team Wild Fang wins this one, it'll be all over for our Team Solare! We have to two leaders battling this one out! From Team Wild Fang is Kyoya! From Team Solare is the one and only James!"

The cheers are deafening as the tall, tanned leader from the Australian team waves his hand to the adoring crowds.

"Oh my gosh! James just smiled at me!"

"No, he waved at me!"

"You can do it James!"

"James, I'm your biggest fan!"

Demure sweatdrops as he watches a group of girls bicker for the attention of the Aquario user. Bones sighs, feeling disappointed in the female population at the moment.

"Good luck, Kyoya!" Demure calls unnecessarily. It was plain obvious that Kyoya was going to dominate. The green-haired male strides down to the stadium.

"Go get him, James!"

"Win back out first battle!"

The announcer looks at both participants. "Ready…? Let's begin!"

"3… 2… 1…!"

"Let it rip!"

"Let's go, Aquario!" James makes the first attack and collides into Leone. "Barrage Attack! Yeah!" The crowd cheers along with him. Kyoya frowns, almost disappointingly.

"James starts off with heavy hits! But Rock Leone seems to have taken no damage at all…!" the announcer notes.

"Hm! That level attack won't have any effect on Leone!" Kyoya scoffs.

James scowls. "We'll see about that! Aquario… Let's max it to a Special Move: Rainy Day!" Aquario flies off one edge of the arena and strikes Leone repeatedly from above.

"Yeah! Go, James!"

"Knock him out!"

Leone streaks around the arena to no avail. "What a pesky fly." Kyoya mutters.

"Aquario keeps hitting Leone over and over again! Can Leone no longer defend itself? Has the battle already ended?"

"Haha! Just like the rain, you can't escape my barrage attack! Keep going, Aquario!" the Australian blader crows, thinking he's already won the match.

"Why would I need to hide when I can just blow it all away?! Leone! Special Move: Lion Gale Force Wall!" Kyoya roars. A large twister forms in the stadium, causing James to gasp. Aquario is sucked into the swirling wind, unable to defend itself in mid-air.

"No! Aquario!"

"End this now, Leone! Yah!"

Leone rides its own wind and blasts Aquario out of the stadium. The Australian Bey collides into the wall, cracking it. The tornado dissipates and Leone falls back into the stadium gently.

"Wh-What?!" James stands rigidly, paralyzed from shock.

"Aquario is knocked out of the stadium! Stadium out! The second win goes to Kyoya! Team Wild Fang wins the preliminary round!"

Kyoya walks back with smirk, Leone in hand.

"Amazing!" Demure compliments.

"Can we go back, now?" Bones asks, much less enthusiastically as her teammate. Kyoya rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, let's get outta here," he commands. Team Wild Fang struts out without a backwards glance at the team they had just destroyed.

~("~) (~")~

"Congratulations on your win! You're one step closer in winning the Championships!" the president grins. Team Wild Fang is sitting in a semicircle around a small laptop, talking to the president of Savannah. "The residents here are cheering for you."

"Hm…" Kyoya grunt noncommittally.

"I have already booked your next flight and hotel. We will watch your progress from here. Good luck to you four!" The screen turns black, signaling the end of the call.

"We should practice. All of that competitive spirit makes me want to battle, too." Bones suggests mildly.

"That's a good idea. That battle earlier was just like a warm up." Kyoya smirks, standing up as well. Nile pulls himself up before grabbing Bones' outstretched hand and hoisting her up as well.

Demure flips through the hotel pamphlet. "It looks like they have practice stadiums in this hotel. That way, you can take off your cloak, Bones." He offers the only female teammate a tentative smile. She nods appreciatively.

"Sounds interesting. I'm in!" she giggles darkly, tossing her cloak to one side.

~("~) (~")~

"Come to think of it, we've never seen you battle in person, Bones." Nile comments as they walk down the halls of the hotel. She thinks for a moment.

"True… We didn't really stick together in the selection tournaments, so it's only natural you didn't get to see my Bey." she shrugs and adjusts her head phones so it's hanging around her neck.

"Actually… I did…" Demure speaks up nervously. Bones raises a thin eyebrow.

"Eh? I didn't see you in the crowd…" she comments.

"Ah… I watched from the shadows…" He scratches his head sheepishly.

"Stalker…!" Bones gasps, hand covering her mouth in mock horror. Nile laughs softly while Demure blushes and turns away. "Whatever, maybe you'll see some of my awesome skills, today."

~("~) (~")~

"3… 2… 1…!"

"Let it rip!"

"Go Light Wolf!"

"Let's spin, Destiny Azrael!"

The two Beys clash straight away causing sparks to fly. The other blader grits his teeth as Bones' Bey easily overpowers his, pushing it back.

"Bones' Bey is an attack type, Destiny Azrael W145DF. It has an extremely high attack power, but I've never seen a tip like that before…" Demure observes, watching the battle closely. Bones quickly knocks the other Bey out of the arena, taking an easy victory.

"Hm…" Kyoya hums, crossing his arms. They watch Bones battle another opponent, hoping to gain more information about their mysterious teammate.

To Bones' dismay, she defeats every single blader in the hotel without much effort. "What a drag… Can't even find a decent blader…" She quickly straightens up and faces Demure with a mischievous grin plastered on her doll-like face. "Didn't you want to battle me, Demure?"

"Wh-When did I say that?" Demure stutters, reeling away.

"Remember? You challenged me during the selection tournaments. I think you owe me a battle."

Demure stares at Bones with wide eyes. _How does she still remember this? I totally forgot about it…_ "Uh… Uh… Well…"

"Well… hurry up!" Bones pulls Demure to the other side of the stadium before taking up her position. "Nile, you can be the ref."

"Ready?"

"3… 2… 1… Let it rip!" they both shout and yank their ripcords.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: Well... **_

_***Kyoya, Nile, and Demure sitting in a circle with Abunai***_

_**Kyoya: Yes? **_

_**Abunai: You see... **_

_**Nile: What is it?**_

_**Abunai: I have something to confess...**_

_**Kyoya: Well, hurry and say it. **_

_**Abunai: I kinda don't want to...**_

_**Demure: Don't worry, we'll understand...! *pats Abunai on the shoulder***_

_**Kyoya: *mutters* No we won't. **_

_***Abunai smacks him across the head* **_

_**Abunai: Well... I HAVE GOLDFISH! **_

_***everyone else falls to the ground from their sitting position... somehow...***_

_**Kyoya: What kind of confession is that?! **_

_***Nile sighs***_


	7. Chapter 7

_**So I had to search up on Wiki all the parts of a Bey and what the #!*% they do coz I was so confused on how to write Demure's thoughts without being OOC or sounding lame. It took SO LONG, I couldn't even believe how complicated Bey parts were... So, yeah, the descriptions in here are based off of real parts of other Beys. Enjoy~**_

Bones' Azrael quickly catches up to Demure's Scorpio, slamming into the back of it.

"Scorpio!" Demure calls as his Bey bounces back from the force. _Azrael as a super high attack power… that I know. I just have to be cautious of its tip, I haven't seen a Bey that's used it before so I don't know what it'll do. Let's play it safe…_ "Run for it!"

"Can't escape!" Bones smirks. Azrael quickly catches up to Scorpio and launches a quick barrage attack.

"Ah!" _What speed! _Scorpio cuts through the center of the arena, escaping Azrael's attacks.

"C'mon. I haven't even used all of my strength yet!"

_Okay, calm down. Azrael's spin track has fins that push air upwards to provide stability and stamina. Its fusion wheel has two large, jagged wings that stick out, dealing heavy attack power. The spiked energy ring is quite light and has a centered weight which provides a stable spin. But… I still don't get the full functions of its tip. Azrael still hasn't used it yet, unless all it does is provides high agility maneuvers. _

Demure begins to read Bones' attacks, dodging many of them before delivering his own counter attacks.

"Pretty good, Demure. It looks like you're starting to read my moves." Bones drawls approvingly. "Don't think that's all I've got. Let's increase the rhythm!"

"Huh?"

Azrael spins towards the middle of the arena, spinning in place as Scorpio circles it warily.

"If you can predict which way my Bey will go, how about I attack you without moving! Here we go, Azrael! It's time to reap a soul!"

The familiar sound of clanking and rattling reach Nile's and Kyoya's ears. A Bey beast rises from Azrael with a white glow. It's in the shape of a skeleton carrying a scythe. It raises its bony arms as large, black wings sprout from its spinal cord.

"Ah! It's changing directions!" Demure shouts. Nile and Kyoya gasp as they realize that Bones' Bey is in fact periodically changing spin directions.

"What?!"

"How is that happening?!"

Demure eyes widen, "So that's the function of Azrael's tip! It's a flat tip with protrusions that stick straight out which allows it to change directions with ease!"

"That's right." Bones applauds. "Since the tip has the ability to move more freely, it changes directions first before the rest of the Bey does. That way, it doesn't tip over or lose speed. The rest of Azrael is tailored to attack from using both the right and the left spin, it's the most ideal type for this."

"So that's the clanking noise…" Kyoya mutters.

"It's the sound of Azrael changing directions!" Nile adds.

The skeletal angel spirit from Bones' Bey begins slashing, alternatively left and right, at Scorpio. The slashing blasts cause Scorpio to begin to wobble.

"Ah!" Demure cries. _Azrael's fusion wheel is sending blasts of wind! Since the slice is in different directions each time, thanks to its ability to change directions, it's disrupting the balance of Scorpio!_ "Oh, no!"

"Time to finish this… Azrael! Take his soul to the heavens!"

Bones' Bey beast glides over to Scorpio's wavering form with a flap of its wings. It reaches down to grab the Bey, its ghostly fingers passing through it. As it pulls up, it brings along a wisp of a glowing green, scorpion-like spirit as well. It's Demure's Bey beast. With another flap of its dark wings, it soars up into the sky before exploding with a black cloud of feathers.

Demure gasps as Scorpio lands behind him with a clatter. It rolls around for a bit before coming to a stop. Azrael lands lightly back into the dome-like arena.

"Stadium out, looks like Bones wins." Nile announces, closing his eyes. Demure sighs disappointingly before picking up Scorpio. Bones snatches her Bey in the air before putting it away. She jumps onto Demure's back causing him to almost collapse on his face.

"That was a good battle. Thanks, Demure!" she laughs.

"Ahahahah… Unsurprisingly, you did win… Bones? Bones?"

Said girl had fallen asleep while still clinging to Demure's back. He sweatdrops as Nile and Kyoya walk up to the pair.

"Who knew we had such an interesting blader on our team?" Kyoya smirks. Nile pries Bones off of Demure, cradling her in his arms. She presses her face against his chest unconsciously causing Nile to smile faintly.

~("~) (~")~

"We're going to the beach, today?" Nile asks dubiously.

"Duh! Australia is known for their nice beaches." Bones throws back. She tosses him a pair of black swimming trunks and a t-shirt. "Hurry up and change. Kyoya already agreed to the plan."

"How did you get him to do that?" Demure rounds the corner, looking incredibly awkward without his normal attire. He now had on a pair of striped orange trunks with a casual shirt.

"Well… we're also going to be training on the beach as well…" Bones trails off. Nile rolls his eyes knowingly before closing the bathroom door for privacy.

"I see." Demure nods. He is suddenly whacked in the head with a beach towel. He stumbles backwards, "Eh?"

"Hurry and pack your own stuff. You too, Nile." she shouts to the Egyptian blader.

"What?" said blader steps out of the bathroom wearing his new clothes. He is greeted with a towel to the face, much like Demure.

"Let's go, Kyoya's waiting." Bonesp shifts her headphones and adjusts her cloak before leading the way outside.

"Took you long enough…" Kyoya mumbles, uncrossing his arms. Bones blames the other two for their slowness. The four of them hop onto a bus that whisks them away to the beach.

"What should we do first?" Demure asks. They had just finished setting up a large umbrella as well as laying down their towels on the smoldering sand. Kyoya had picked out a rather reclusive place, away from the other beach goers. That way they could train without being bothered by anyone else.

"Hm… Let's get in." Kyoya replies shortly before pulling off his shirt, revealing a well tones torso. He grins wolfishly before jumping into the water with a huge splash. Demure follows hesitantly, shivering slightly as he slips into the cool water. Bones smirks and slips off her cloak.

Nile couldn't take his eyes off of Bones in her revealing two piece bathing suit. It's a wine red color with black lace that accentuates her subtle curves delicately. The wind picks up, swirling her pale blonde hair.

She turns around partly to glance at Nile. "Well, aren't you coming?"

Nile blinks and snaps himself out of his reverie and yanks off his shirt. He could've sworn he saw Bones' cheeks darken but she had already leaped into the water before he could check. Bones splashes Demure and Kyoya with water playfully. The Japanese blader glares before retaliating while the other flounders in the water ungracefully, choking on sea water. Nile chuckles before jumping in as well and joining in the competitive splashing war.

Bones growls as she is hit with a particularly large wave. "Oh, it's on."

~("~) (~")~

"Hey, Kyoya…"

"Hn?"

"I'm surprised you like to swim. I thought cats were afraid of water." Someone snickers.

"… You have three seconds before I kill you."

"What? It was an honest question…!"

"3…"

"C'mon, can't we talk about this like rational people do- over a cup of tea?"

"… 2…"

"Alright… it looks like I'll have to move my legs again. But… that would be so trouble-"

"1…!"

"Yeah, I think I'll be moving now."

Kyoya chases after a fleeing Bones as they run across the dunes in some twisted game of tag. The thoroughly annoyed green-haired blader shouted threats that lingered harmlessly in the air.

"Don't be mad, Kyoya!" Bones calls behind her. "I'm sure there is some kind of feline that likes water. You aren't that much of a freak." This does nothing to quell the rage inside the Japanese blader, in fact it seemed to do the exact opposite.

Nile and Demure cough uncontrollably as they laugh at the hilarious scene before them.

~("~) (~")~

"Hey, what's that on the ground?" Demure stares at something on the ground. It's a small, square piece of paper.

"Hm?" Nile looks over from his conversation with Bones.

"What is it?" Bones crawls over Nile's legs and leans toward the paper. Demure reaches down to pick it up. Just as his fingers brush the corner, Kyoya quickly snatches it up and stuffs it in his pocket.

"Eh? What is it, Kyoya?" Nile looks over Bones' back at the Japanese blader.

"Nothing." Kyoya replies sharply. The other three exchange dubious glances, their curiosity piqued.

Demure brings his hand up to his face and whispers to Nile and Bones. "I saw a bit of what's on the other side... It's a photo of someone." Bones' eyes widen as if she heard Kyoya's deepest, darkest secret.

"No way! Is it a girl?!" she demands, not bothering to keep her voice down. Kyoya snarls.

"None of your business!"

~("~) (~")~

"Run! We're going to be late!" Bones yells, racing down the pristine while walls of the airport. She swerves to dodge the milling people. Kyoya and Nile curse under their breath before picking up speed, Demure not far behind.

"It's your fault! It took us two hours to wake you up!" Kyoya retorts hotly, hopping over a stack of luggage.

"S-Slow down!" Demure calls, his heavy backpack weighing him down. Bones looks up at the board, tracking their flight boarding gate.

"Shortcut time! Azrael!" She launches her Bey at a warning sign that's barring the way, blasting it to the side.

"What are you doing?" Nile shouts, skidding to halt next to his eccentric teammate.

"If we cut through here, it'll go faster!" Bones insists, motioning with her hands.

"But, it's a construction site!"

Kyoya zooms past them, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. "Let's just go!" Nile sighs but follows with Bones by his side.

"Oh, c'mon!" Demure wails.

~("~) (~")~

"Here!" Bones slams down four plane tickets in front of the flight assistant, just a few minutes before the gates could close. The four of them stand panting in front of a shell shocked female attendant.

"Hurry up and scan them…!" Kyoya growls. The girl stutters and quickly scans their tickets.

Demure stands to one side, hunched over tiredly. "Never again…"

"Told you it was a shortcut!" Bones pokes Nile on the shoulder playfully. He grins and pushes her lightly.

"Yeah, and we almost got run over by a bulldozer in process!"

"Did you see those workers' faces? Priceless!"

The four of them share a group laugh before boarding the plane.

"I call window seat!" Bones announces before diving onto the chair. Niles rolls his eyes good-naturedly and slides in beside her. The four of them take up a whole row in the spacious plane.

"All that running made me hungry." Kyoya comments out of the blue. Demore and Nile nod in agreement, ready to call over one of the flight attendances.

"I've got plenty of food!" Bones smirks. She pulls bag after bag of snacks from her cloak.

"H-How'd you get all of that?!" Demure inquires, jaw hanging open.

Kyoya narrows his eyes, "Bones…"

"What?" she asks too innocently. She widens her eyes in a child-like way. Kyoya scoffs, unamused.

"Where'd you get all of this, anyways?" Nile asks, picking up one of the bags.

"Ehm… found it on the floor…?" she says more as a question than as a statement. Nile sighs, albeit amusedly, at Bone's inability to tell a believable lie.

"How did you get all of these while we were running?" Demure asks, snatching a box for himself. They all knew that Bones had stolen the merchandise.

"Skills you wish you had." Bones replies proudly. Kyoya shakes his head before giving in and grabbing a bag as well.

~("~) (~")~

Nile jolts in his seat as something presses against his shoulder. Bones' head falls on Nile as she slips into slumber, snoring lightly. Kyoya shoots him a knowing look, causing the Egyptian blader to flush and turn away.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: I have nothing to say... **_

_**Kyoya: Finally, some peace and quiet. **_

_**Abunai: Just because you said that, I'm going to sing. *takes in a deep breath***_

_**Everyone: NO! **_

_**Abunai: THE WHEELS ON THE BUS GO 'ROUND AND 'ROUND! 'ROUND AND 'ROUND! THE WHEELS ON THE BUS-**_

_***Everyone falls over with foam coming out of their mouth. Their eyes chibi-fy and become large white circles***_

_***Masamune pops in and joins the singing***_

_**Abunai: What the #!*% are you doing here?! Get out! *throws a large block of cheese at him***_

_***Masmune exits, his face has a large red print in the shape of the projectile***_


	8. Chapter 8

_**KONNICHIWA~! Just a heads up, this chapter is incredibly fluffy- so soft... -o- But yeah, it doesn't have much action, sorry! I'm building up for their next competitor! Please comment! I love it when you guys do! **_

"It's cold!" Bones declares, hugging her cloak closer to her.

"You're telling us that? At least you have a cloak!" Nile chatters. The four of them were so used to warm weather that they didn't expect the Canadian wind to bite so fiercely.

"Oh, right… I do!" Bones proceeds to turn and laugh at each of her shivering teammates.

"How are we supposed to get to our hotel?" Demure asks, rubbing his arms to retain heat. Bones whips out a packet of papers and rifles through them.

"We're going to have to take an hour bus ride." Bones informs Team Wild Fang. A collective groan rises up.

"We should buy some warmer clothes, first." Nile advises. The four of them head back into the bustling airport, hoping to find some warm jackets.

~("~) (~")~

"You should try this on!" Bones shoves a floor length, bright red parka in Demure's face.

"Uhm… I'm not so sure about this, Bones…" he mutters, pulling the surprisingly heavy jacket off of his afro.

"It'll be fine!" Bones assures, trying not to laugh. "Hey, Nile, come help me!" Together, the two of them shove Demure into the jacket before zipping him up and flipping over the hood.

"I-It looks g-great!" Bones sputters, holding in giggles. Nile smirks. Demure waddles over to the nearest mirror, crashing into a few racks along the way. Nile coughs, poorly hiding his mirth. Bones quickly elbows him in the side.

"I can't even see with this hood on! And how does one move in this thing?!" Demure explains from the depths of the puffy jacket. It makes him look twice his size. Bones and Nile dissolve into laughter as Demure fights his way free from the wrath of the horrendous article of clothing.

"What's all this noise?" Kyoya asks, walking around a shelf. He glances between Bones' and Nile's laughing forms and Demure's struggling one. "I don't even want to know…" He sighs and shakes his head.

~("~) (~")~

"It's snowing!" Demure exclaims, pointing outside the window.

"Lemme see!" Bones clambers to the window, Nile joins not even a second later.

Kyoya scoffs. "It's like you guys have never seen snow before…!" His three team members give him blank looks. He suddenly straightens up. "Wait… you haven't?!" Nile, Demure, and Bones shake their heads simultaneously.

"Where I'm from, it's always too hot to have snow." Nile explains. Demure and Bones nod along.

"Let's all go outside to train today!" Bones cheers, glancing at Kyoya for approval. Kyoya grunts before nodding.

"Actually, that would be a good idea since it's harder for Beys to move in the snow." Demure states. They all zip up their newly bought coats, with Bones take the extra precautions of draping her cloak over her jacket as well.

"When are you going to stop wearing that in public?" Nile asks as they head out of the hotel. Bones shrugs.

"Dunno. I suppose when I battle… Besides, the mystery makes me feel ninja-like! Hiyah!"

Nile rolls his eyes but gazes at the only female member fondly, which Bones is thankfully unaware of. The four of them trek to a secluded area covered with pristine, white snow.

"I hear you're supposed to make snowmen in the snow!" Bones grabs Nile's hand and races off, the Egyptian blader flapping in the wind behind her. Demure joins them in rolling a large snowball for the base. Kyoya leans on a pine tree and crosses his arm, too cool to join in.

"This is actually a lot more tiring than I thought it would be," Demure admits as they roll and place the second snow ball for the midsection.

"Yeah, it's actually a good workout." Nile replies, shaking out his arms. "Except, I don't think Bones is getting it." They both turn to stare at their teammate as she runs around the clearing with an endless stream of energy.

"Kyoya! Come join us!" she waves at the relaxing team leader. He shakes his head with a smirk.

"Nah, I'm good."

Bones frowns before bending down and scooping up a clump of snow. She packs it together and winds up her arm.

"She isn't going to do what I think she's going to do, is she?" Demure asks, dreading the answer.

"Looks like you're wrong." Nile responds blandly. They watch as Bones throws the snowball with precision, hitting the oblivious Kyoya in the back of the head.

"Hey! Wh- Bones!" the enraged Japanese blader roars and chases her, shouting threats along the way. The female blader laughs and dodges gracefully at Kyoya's attempts to gain revenge.

"Gotta be fast than that, Kyoya!" Bones teases. Her much lighter weight enables her to skim the snow easily. In contrast, Kyoya blunders through the white fluff like a cat in water… or a lion in this case. She quickly shimmies up a tree, surprising everyone with her tree-climbing abilities.

"I'll get you!" Kyoya scowls, although not as fiercely as he would like it to be. He stalks away to sulk in the trees. Once she determines the coast is clear, Bones makes her way gracefully to the ground and bounces back towards Nile and Demure.

"All those years of training my launching arm finally paid off!" she declares. Demure chuckles.

"I would watch your back." Nile warns with a grin. Bones waves him off and glances at the unfinished snowman.

"Hey, Nile! Hoist me up!" Bones demands.

Nile raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I need to put on the head."

Nile complies and lifts her up onto his shoulders. He's surprised at how light she actually is, although, she is quite short. Demure hands Bones the third snowball and steps back, ready to catch her in case she falls.

Bones gently places the head onto the snowman's body before packing in the snow to firmly attach it.

"Looks good." Demure smiles. Nile sets Bones back onto the ground as the three of them gaze at their first snowman.

The snowman suddenly explodes, sending snow flying everywhere. The three bladers are pelted with it and they do their best to shield their faces.

"What just happened?" Bones demands, shaking off the snow in her hair.

"I don't know…" Nile gasps. He brushes off the white flakes that stick to his jacket.

"From what I've heard, snow is neither combustible nor explosive…" Demure says, perplexed.

"How's that for revenge?" a low voice calls from the tree line. Three heads turn towards the direction of the voice. Kyoya grins darkly, Leone spinning in the snow by his feet. Bones' jaw drop indignantly.

"Kyoya! That took forever to make!" she fumes, although her eyes sparkle in amusement. Kyoya smirks and raises an eyebrow as if to say, so what?

Bones lets out a war cry and launches Destiny Azrael in retaliation. The four of them engage in a mock Bey battle, laughing the whole time.

~("~) (~")~

"Okay, this training while help us build attack power as well as speed." Demure informs the rest of Team Wild Fang.

The four members of the Africa team stand before four identical snowmen, their Beys spinning in front of their feet.

"You will have to attack the snowman at this distance through the snow. It'll be tougher than on normal ground. We're focusing on raw strength in this round. Ready… go!"

Kyoya's snowman is torn apart by ravaging winds. Nile's is blasted into pieces with a flash of gold light. Bones' is exploded with a puff of black smoke, leaving the ground charred. The three glance at the remains of their snowmen approvingly before turning towards Demore's.

Scorpio lay half buried in the snowman's stomach. They stare at Demure with sweatdrops at the back of their heads. Demure chuckles nervously and scratches his head sheepishly.

~("~) (~")~

"The president sent us footage of Canada's preliminary round matches," Demure explains.

The four of them sit in front of a large screen. It is currently showing the battles between Canada's team and Mexico's.

Bones ambles into the room, carrying a large bowl of popcorn. She sits next to Nile on the couch, daringly nestling up to his side. Nile blushes, but the lack of light in the room covers up most of it.

They watch as Canada wins the first and third matches, not impressed at all.

"Well… they're better than Australia's team, that's for sure." Bones reasons.

Kyoya grunts.

"We've got nothing to worry about, it'll be our win." Nile predicts confidently. Bones pulls up her headphones and relaxes in the darkness.

"So we get the day off tomorrow?" she voices hopefully. Kyoya crosses his arms and nods.

"Be back before dinner, we're going to train again." he warns.

~("~) (~")~

"New headphones! Let's check it out." Bones wanders inside a small shop selling all sorts of electronics. She pulls off her hood and headphones, once deeming it secluded with no one around. Niles follows behind without much comment.

The cheery shop clerk pops out of nowhere with a wide grin. "How may I help you on this fine day?"

"Just looking…" Bones dismisses him and gazes in awe at the rows of headphones on display. She holds up a pair of bright pink ones with hearts scrawled all over it. "Nile, you should buy these." Nile gives her an amused look but shakes his head.

"Everything here is forty percent off!" the clerk sings, following them like a creepy serial killer. "You should get your boyfriend to buy you a pair, darling." He sends her a sly wink. Nile's eyes grow huge as his cheeks tint pink.

"Wait, what?" he asks, taken aback. "She's no-" He begins to correct the over enthusiastic worker but is cut off by Bones' teasing voice.

"Yeah, Nile. You should buy me one!" She snickers as Nile sputters indignantly. "Nah, I don't need another pair anyways." She tugs the red-faced Nile out of the shop and away from the crestfallen shopkeeper.

"What was that about?" Nile frowns embarrassingly as they walk down the icy street.

Bones laughs lightly. "Good source of entertainment, that's what you are." Nile scowls and pushes her jokingly.

"Hey!" She slips on the ice and comically faceplants the ground. Now it's Nile's turn to laugh. He holds out an apologetic hand to Bones as her black lips form a perfect pout. She takes his offered hand and quickly yanks him down beside her.

"Wh-Wha…?"

"Eat that!" she giggles. Nile makes an angry face but can't hold it for long. They both laugh, their breaths coming out in puffs. Their eyes meet and their laughter slowly dies down. The two stare intensely at each other and lean a tiny bit closer to each other. Nile shifts closer so their faces are mere centimeters apart, feeling Bones' warm breath wash over his face.

Bones swiftly ducks her head before standing up. "We should go back, huh?" She wipes off the back of her pants, avoiding eye contact with the Egyptian blader. Nile bites back a disappointed groan before hoisting himself up.

_What was that about?_ Bones pulls up her hood to hide her inflamed cheeks.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abuani: I will be posting character profiles later today, not another chapter. Even though I know you all want one! *overexaggerated winking***_

_**Kyoya: *scoffs* You better make mine extra cool. You owe me. **_

_**Abunai: What?! I don't owe you anything! If I were to make one of your guys' profile 'cool,' it would be Nile's! **_

_**Nile: *not paying attention* Huh?**_

_***Abunai grabs his cheeks and smushes it together while cooing* **_

_**Kyoya: At least it isn't me... **_

_***Abunai reaches for Kyoya's face* *Nile winces and rubs his red cheeks tenderly***_

_**Nile: Ow...**_

_**Kyoya: No! *teleports away with a flash of light and confetti* **_

_**Abunai: *sulks in emo corner* Someday...**_


	9. Character Profiles

Name: Bones

Gender: Female

Age: 14

Bey: Destiny Azrael W145DF (Attack Type)

Face Bolt: Azrael- white with black outline of a skull and wings; 'Azrael' in silver lettering

Energy Ring: Azrael- metallic silver; hexagonal shaped; round-jagged edge; thin white designs

Fusion Wheel: Destiny- black wing shaped that face opposite ways (left and right rotation); spiked edges for attack power; feather decal

Spin Track: Wing 145- silver; two spiraled fins (left and right rotation)

Tip: Double Flat- black and white; flat; six protrusions that stick straight out for directional change

Appearance: short, slender, pale

Hair: long; pale blonde; pulled back on the left side with pins; side swept bangs to the right

Facial: extremely large grey eyes that are thickly outlined with dark lashes; full black painted lips; three vertical black lines from the left eye to the chin

Clothes: black and white dress (explained earlier, too lazy to retype); knee high boots

Accessories: red and black headphones; cloak (most of the time)

wp-content/gallery/to-love-ru-scans/AnimeWapers_com%2066433%20kotegawa_yui%20maid%20to_love_ru% (pic of dress coz typing it out is such a drag...)

~("~) (~")~

Name: Nile

Gender: Male

Age: 14

Bey: Vulcan Horuseus 145 D (Defense Type)

Face Bolt: Horuseus- black with gold outline of Horus, the ancient Egyptian falcon-god

Energy Ring: Horuseus- quadrilateral-shaped; gold with red eyes on either side; black and red stripes underneath; white and gold wing decals

Fusion Wheel: Vulcan- black; two large semi-circular prominences; sloped for smash attacks; two smaller red and black wings

Spin Track: 145- yellow; tall height

Performance Tip: Defense- yellow; wide tip

Appearance: average height, slightly muscular, tanned

Hair: brown spiked hair; orange, side swept bangs; two orange, short strands of orange hair on either side clamped with two gold rings

Facial: green eyes; orange designs under each eye

Clothes: green shirt/tunic; tan, baggy pants; short, yellow jacket with short, black sleeves; red cloth around waist; tan scarf; black and yellow shoes

Accessories: brown belt for Beyblade and launcher; gold circlets around wrists and ankles, black and yellow fingerless gloves; bandages around wrists and ankles

~("~) (~")~

Name: Kyoya Tategami

Gender: Male

Age: 14

Bey: Rock Leone 145WB (Defense Type)

Face Bolt: Leone- green lion outlined with yellow; 'Leo' in white lettering outlined with green and yellow

Energy Ring: Leone- transparent green-yellow; circular with small ridges

Fusion Wheel: Rock- silver; six large protrusions with shallow gaps; dented designs

Spin Track: 145- yellow; tall height

Performance Tip: Wide Ball- yellow; large, spherical surface

Appearance: average height, muscular, slightly tanned

Hair: turquois; spikes that stick straight up; back is pulled into a low ponytail

Facial: blue eyes; cross shaped scars under both eyes; sharp canines

Clothes: short, dark blue shirt with short sleeves; long, green jacket with no sleeves; tan pants; brown shoes

Accessories: one large belt with two, thin hanging belts; brown fingerless gloves

~("~) (~")~

Name: Demure

Gender: Male

Age: 14

Bey: Counter Scorpio 145D (Defense Type)

Face Bolt: Scorpio- dark purple; green outline of scorpion; 'Scorpio' outlined in green

Energy Ring: Scorpio- black and red; shaped like two scorpion stingers

Fusion Wheel: Counter- metal; six protrusions with large gaps between

Spin track: 145- black; tall height

Performance Tip: Defense- dark purple; wide tip

Appearance: tall; slim; dark-skinned

Hair: black afro

Facial: gray eyes

Clothes: off shouldered red shirt with teal and gold collar; baggy, tan pants; black boots

Accessories: gold band around forehead; gold, hooped earrings; black choker; black belt; bandages around wrists


	10. Chapter 9

_**I present to you the much anticipated battle between Africa and Canada! Don't hate me, Canadians! *braces for insults* Anyways, here you guys are! I appreciate the few of you readers who actually comment! I love you guys~! ^^ **_

"Welcome to the second round of the Beyblade World Championships! As you all know, our team, Team Arctic Blizzard, won the preliminary against Mexico! Now they must face a tea from Africa, please welcome Team Wild Fang!" the Canadian DJ shouts to the cheering crowd.

A large screen behind him shows a live feed video of Team Wild Fang as the four members walk down the hallway.

"Here we have the ferocious team leader, the king of beasts, Kyoya!" The screen flashes a picture of the green-haired blader.

"Next is the blader who wins his battles as quick as a flash, it's Nile!" Nile's picture is shown.

"And the third regular member who everyone's been wondering about. Just who is this mysterious person? Bones!" A picture of Bones in her trademark cloak is presented. "Lastly, their sub member whom we've never seen battle before, Demure!"

There's polite cheers as the four members walk out and to their podium.

"Sure beats Australia." Bones mutters, pulling up her headphones to block out the noise.

"From our very own, Team Arctic Blizzard! The one, the only team leader… it's Jacques!" A picture of him is displayed.

"Second up is known as the heavy hitter! The one who deals the final blow, Alisha!" The screen lights up with a photo of a heavily muscled girl.

"And it's the lean, mean, killing machine. The one who's got the brains and the brawn. Shichen!" A picture of a girl with sharp features is shown.

"The ultimate sub member, Phillis!" The portrait of a man with glasses appears.

Team Artic Blizzard walks to the podium, amid the cheers from their loving crowd. The four members are clad in blindingly white, knee-length parkas that they had worn in the video.

Demure blinks rapidly to adjust his abnormally sharp eyes. "My eyes are burning…"

"I'm glad we don't have a uniform like that…" Bones snickers. Nile pretends to shield his eyes, eliciting soft peals of laughter from the female blader.

"Let's begin the second round of the World Championships! The first battle is between the Africa representative, Nile, and Alisha!" the DJ roars into the microphone.

Kyoya and Nile share a fist bump before he walks down towards the stadium. "Go, Nile!" Demure calls encouragingly. Bones yawns.

"You're going down, Nile!" Alisha bellows, bashing her fists together. She holds up a tan colored Bey. "Tremble with fear in front of my Mad Aries!"

"Huh, let's see if you are as big as you talk. Horuseus!" Nile launches his Bey with a flourish.

"Let's start the countdown!" The DJ almost falls out of his seat in excitement.

"3… 2… 1…"

"Let it rip!"

"Yah!"

"Aries, crush him!" Alisha howls, pounding her chest. Demure and Bones sweatdrop.

"What a lovely character she is…" Bones mumbles sarcastically. Kyoya fails to suppress a smile. Demure laughs lightly.

Aries plows across the arena and slams into Horuseus. Nile's Bey skids away from the impact but remains spinning strongly.

"Alisha attacks Nile straight from the start! What an attack! But, Nile hasn't slowed down in the slightest!"

"Is that the best you can do? With an attack like that, you'll get nowhere!" Nile informs her maliciously.

"This isn't even the beginning! Charge, Aries!" Alisha takes the bait and charges recklessly. Nile easily dodges the attempt. "Stay still!" She attacks again and again to no avail.

"Woah! Alisha tries to hit Nile but he keeps slipping out of her grasp like water! What is Alisha going to do next?"

"I see now. Mad Aries is an extremely heavy Bey, that's where it gets all its heavy attack power from- its weight. With that kind of speed, it'll do nothing against Vulcan Horuseus who has good defensive power and agility." Demure says.

Kyoya closes his eyes, "It looks like this match is already over."

"You're a bit slow, there. You won't be able to land a hit on Horseus with that kind of slow moving attack." Nile smirks. Alisha rages, turning her face purple from the strain.

"Calm down, Alisha!" Phillis pushes up his glasses.

"Don't let him get into your head! He wants you to do this!" Shichen warns, frowning deeply. She turns towards Jacques accusingly. "I knew we shouldn't have sent her out first!" He holds up his hands defensively.

"You were the one who set up out lineup…" he retorts.

"What?! N-No!"

Aries unsuccessfully continues to pepper Horuseus with attacks.

"This is getting quite boring. It looks like you can't fight the fight." Nile sighs. "I'll show you how a real attack is done! Horuseus, spread your wings!"

Horuseus sends out multiple blasts like a canon, the impact causing Aries to be sent reeling away.

"What?! Horuseus didn't even touch Aries!" Shichen squints.

"Special Move: Mystic Zone!" A familiar column of gold light flares up the stadium.

Kyoya smirks while Bones laughs triumphantly for her teammate.

"Ahh!" Alisha lets out a surprisingly girlish scream.

The light dies down with Aries by its owner's massive feet. Alisha's knees buckle.

"True to his name, Nile ends the battle with a flash! It's a stadium out on Alisha! First match goes the African reps!"

"Well done!" Demure cheers. Kyoya nods approvingly.

"Wow, Nile. I can't believe you won." Bones monotones, sarcasm lacing each word. Nile chuckles good-naturedly. He leans against her as they both watch the next round from the sidelines.

"The next round is Team Wild Fang's leader, Kyoya, and the tactician, Shichen! Team Arctic Blizzard must win the next match in order to stay in the competition! Let's get started!" the DJ states.

"I will be winning this match and we'll be moving on in the World Championships." Shichen sneers, readying her Bey.

Kyoya scoffs. "I'd like to see you try."

"Let's begin the countdown!"

"3… 2… 1…!"

"Let it rip!"

"If I remember correctly, Rock Leone 145 WB is a defense type Bey. Since its main purpose is for defense, it shouldn't have much attack power at all! Let's go, Flash Crane! Let's do a hyper speed drill attack, Sonic Peck!" Shichen points to her Bey.

Crane speeds directly towards Leone, a high-pitched squealing sound echoes through the stadium. Many of the onlookers cover their ears in pain. Shichen looks unaffected due to the fact that her furry hood is pulled up around her head.

"Because of the centrifugal force created from its tip, it's building up power for this attack!" Demure realizes.

Shichen's Bey clashes into Leone, producing a loud explosion that fills the arena with dust.

"Take that!" she grins arrogantly.

Kyoya raises his brow. "What kind of useless attack was that?" The smoke clears, showing that Crane has been stopped in its tracks and is being held back Leone.

"Oh, dear! Shichen's high speed attack has been stopped by Kyoya! What strength! It looks like Shichen is being pushed back by the Japanese rep." the DJ exclaims.

Shichen stumbles back in shock. "What?! According to my calculations, Rock Leone shouldn't be able to do that!" Crane is sent flying backwards as Leone charges after it, ramming into it. Sparks fly into the air from the contact.

"Leone is no ordinary Bey! It looks like all your research was a waste…!" Kyoya grins, his sharp canines flashing. Shichen's eyes widen in horror.

"How could I be wrong?! I'm always right!" she wails.

"I'll show some more of its awesome attack power! Leone! Special Move: King Lion Tearing Blast!" he howls up to the sky. Three large tornadoes tear through the stadium. The crowd screams in fear as things are swept up into the whirlwind.

Crane is blasted into the arena wall, the hit creating a large dent in the metal.

"And it's a stadium out! Kyoya takes the win allowing Team Wild Fang moves on in the championships! What a fearsome battle!"

Kyoya snatches Leone in the air with a mocking laugh. Team Wild Fang leaves the stadium with a flourish, already prepared for their next battle.

~("~) (~")~

Bones is sleeping quietly on one of the long couches, her back pressing against the backside of the couch. She breathes deeply, her chest rising and falling gently. Kyoya sits on another chair, cleaning Leone with a cloth. Nile and Demure had left to go grocery shopping.

The peaceful silence is cut through by a pounding on the door. Bones, unsurprisingly, continues to sleep undisturbed. Kyoya frowns and sets his Bey on the foot table.

_Who could it be? Nile and Demure have the key… and we never have visitors._

He strides across the room and peaks through the peephole. All he can see is red and black fabric. The person pounds demandingly on the door again. Kyoya scowls and rips open the door.

"What do yo- Benkei?!" Kyoya recognizes the burly guy standing before him.

"Kyoya!" Benkei cries tears of joy, diving for the Leone user. Kyoya swiftly sidesteps him, causing him to faceplant the carpeted floor.

"Benkei, what are you doing here?!" Kyoya demands as Benkei picks himself up.

"B-B-Bull! I missed you too much, old pal! Can't friends visit each another?" Benkei exclaims loudly. Kyoya hisses for him to stay quiet, giving a side long glance at Bones' sleeping form.

"Kyoya! Why do you have a girl in your room?! Don't tell me you got a girlfriend while you were away!" he cries dramatically, totally dismissing Kyoya's warning. Kyoya resists the urge to facepalm and sighs irritably.

"Hey, Kyoya. We're back… Who's he?" Almost coincidentally, Nile and Demure walk in, each carrying shopping bags in their hands. Before Kyoya can explain, Benkei immediately cuts in.

"You're Nile and Demure! I watched you all on TV! You guys look a lot cooler in person!" he babbles on, shaking both of them by the hand roughly. Demure laughs nervously and sweatdrops as Benkei almost rips his arm out of the socket.

"So, Kyoya… Who is he exactly?" Nile deadpans.

"He's just an old friend back from where I'm from." Kyoya admits almost mournfully.

"That's right! I'm Benkei Hanawa! Kyoya and I go way back in Japan!" Benkei happily adds, slinging an arm around the disgruntled green-haired blader. He misses the glare Kyoya shoots him while shrugging off his beefy arm.

"I see…" Nile replies slowly, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here, Benkei? Canada is a long way from Japan… You can't just be visiting." Demure notes, rubbing his shoulder.

"I came to be a part of Team Wild Fang!" he exclaims, waving his arms. The large Japanese blader almost takes out the hanging light with his flailing.

"We already have four members!" Kyoya reprimands, frowning.

"I know, I'll just tag along! You guys won't even notice me!" Benkei swears. They all, without hesitation, doubt his word.

"We should ask Bones for an opinion, too…" Nile finally replies.

"Bones?! Where?! I've always wanted to meet him, too!" Benkei fan-screams.

Kyoya sighs and points to the couch. "'She,'" he corrects. "And she's right over there." Benkei's eyes almost fall out of his head in surprise.

"So she isn't your girlfriend, Kyoya?"

Kyoya shakes his head, aggravated. He suddenly smirks evilly and tilts his head. "She's Nile's though."

"Wh-What?!" Nile sputters, dropping the groceries he was in the middle of unpacking. "What are you talking about?!"

Benkei swoons like a school girl. "Ah…! Young love!" Nile shoots them both death glares before returning to his job, his cheeks considerably redder. Demure and Kyoya share a knowing look.

"So who's going to wake her up?" Kyoya asks.

"I'll do it! I get to see Bones' true identity! Yeah!" Benkei cheers, racing over to the couch. Demure opens his mouth to warn the newcomer of Bones' violent behavior when woken up but one glare from Kyoya shuts his mouth. Nile smirks, watching with amusement as Benkei leans over Bones' ear and shouts loudly.

In a split second, Benkei is kicked to the opposite wall, splatting against the beige wallpaper before sliding to the ground in a crumpled position.

Nile chuckles and returns to packing away the food. Kyoya smirks while Demure scurries over to help the fallen blader.

"Thank you for helping me, friend!" Benkei sobs, crushing Demure's slim form with a hug. Demure shouts protests which are muffled in Benkei's jacket.

Bones slowly sits up, drawing the attention of the room as it falls silent. "Who woke me up?" she whispers icily, the room suddenly growing darker and colder. Benkei whimpers and squishes the African blader closer, strangling the poor guy.

"Sleep enough, yet?" Nile smirks. The dark mood immediately lightens as Bones stretches while yawning cutely. A ray of light illuminates her figure as the sun peeks through the clouds. She blinks her large doe eyes, her gaze falling on the unfamiliar person in the room.

"What the #!*% is he doing in here?" she demands, breaking the adorable moment as Benkei watches her with an awed expression. He releases Demure who kneels on the ground, gasping for air.

"He wants to join Team Wild Fang as a cheerleader or something." Nile explains, shutting the refrigerator door. Bones frowns lightly.

"You know him or something?"

"He's a friend from Japan. A blader, too." Kyoya inputs, leaning on the wall.

"My name is Benkei! B-B-Bull! I'm your number one fan!" Benkei regains his voice and shouts while pumping his arms in the air.

Bones stares at him for a few moments. "He's loud." Benkei sits in the corner with heavy depression marks weighing him down.

"We were deciding whether or not to let him in." Kyoya continues.

Bones rises to her feet, her joints cracking in the process. "Do whatever. I don't care." The other members of Team Wild Fang have a silent debate. Kyoya finally sighs once more and turns towards his old subordinate.

"It looks like you're in." he informs Benkei grudgingly. Benkei whoops and celebrates loudly.

"I won't let you down!"

"Aren't the others going to recognize you?" Kyoya asks, holding out one hand to stopping Benkei in mid-tackle.

"…I know! I'll wear a disguise!" Benkei exclaims, rushing over to his overnight bag. He produces a white hat that covers his entire head. It has three holes cut out of it: two for the eyes and a larger one for the mouth. They're outlined in red with a red bull insignia on the forehead.

"Why do you have that in your bag?" Bones asks, deadpanning. Demure sweatdrops at the strange article of clothing. She jumps to sit on the counter. Snatching an apple from Nile's hand, she bites into it, making a juicy crunching noise. Nile makes a soft noise of protest before grabbing another one with a frown.

"I liked to dress up when I was a kid. I will go as… The Masked Bull!" he announces proudly. The others, minus Kyoya, anime fall to the ground.

"Whatever…" the green-haired blader grunts.

~("~) (~")~

"What are you making?" Nile comes up from behind Bones and rests his chin on her shoulder.

"Burgers. Apparently our new member likes to eat. A lot." Bones sighs, pointing a spatula to the already half-empty pantry. She places three patties into the oiled pan, they hiss as they make contact with the hot surface.

"I'll help." Nile offers.

"You can cut the lettuce," Bones replies. "It's in the fridge." Nile complies and begins to chop up the vegetables.

_Meanwhile…_

"I told you they'd make a good couple." Kyoya whispers smugly. He, Benkei, and Demure press up against the crack of the door, spying on the two as they cook dinner.

"Not bad," Demure admits, nodding his head in agreement.

"Love is in the air!" Benkei says not so quietly. He throws his arms up into the air, knocking them all over. The three of them spill into the kitchen in a heap.

"Benkei!" Kyoya growls.

The pair doesn't notice the intrusion, much to Kyoya's and Demure's relief. Bones feeds Nile a piece of meat with a giggle. The trio quietly sneaks out. Benkei accidentally trips into the door, slamming it shut. A knife suddenly lodges itself into the wooden door, inches away from Benkei's head.

"Ah!" he scrambles backwards before turning his head. Bones is standing before him, her lips twisted into a terrifying snarl.

"Benkei…!"

Said person turns towards Nile pleadingly. The Egyptian blader merely smirks and watches as Bones pummels Benkei into a pulp.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: I just really I've been ending with a romance-y scene between Bones and Nile lately... *thinking face***_

_**Kyoya: You just realized? FAIL.**_

_**Abunai: Meh! Whatever, it's supposed to be like that anyways... Right, Nile?! **_

_**Nile: ... **_

_**Kyoya: He disagrees with you. *smug smile***_

_**Abunai: What?! That's not true! *grabs Nile in a headlock* If it weren't for me, here, Nile would be forever alone!**_

_***protesting noises from Nile as he is strangled***_

_**Kyoya: *stares at Nile's struggling form* Right... I'll be leaving now... **_


	11. Chapter 10

_**Wow! I've been getting a lot more reads/visitors lately! Thanks to you all~! ^^ Don't forget to leave a comment, I read every single one of them!**_

"It appears that we're going to battle the team from India next." Demure announces. Bones tenses. Nile shoots her a concerned look which she expertly ignores.

"Whatever team it is, we're going to beat them until we face Japan. And then we'll crush them, too." Kyoya responds coolly. He had explained to the others of his rivalry with Japan's team leader, Gingka. _Just wait, Gingka…_

"So, I guess the lineup will be the sa-" Demure begins. He is interrupted as Bones abruptly stands up. "Uh, Bones?"

"Kyoya, let me battle in this one." she turns towards Team Wild Fang's leader grimly. Her normally mischievous eyes lack all amusement as she stares at the green-haired blader.

"You'll have to take Nile's place."

Bones turns towards Nile. "Please, Nile!"

Nile looks taken aback. "Sure, I guess. I mean, why now?" he inquires. Everyone, even Benkei, looks interested for her answer.

"India… is where I'm from." she replies tersely.

~("~) (~")~

"WBBA News!" the Japanese DJ flashes up on TV. "Today, we have some hot Beyblade World Championship News for you, so listen up! The match taking place today is the India's team, Team Chandora, versus the African representatives, Team Wild Fang."

The screen shows a picture of both teams.

"But there is more to this story, my friends. Check out Wild Fang's leader, Kyoya! As you all remember, Kyoya won a spot on as a representative for Japan, but he refused the position and is now participating in the World Championships as a member of Africa's team! Intriguing! We can only wonder what tricks he has up his sleeve for today's battle!

"The best news is that the much anticipated battle will be broadcasted live in Japan as well!"

"How come they got the word that you're in the competitions only now?" Demure asks. Team Wild Fang, minus Benkei, sit in front of the TV in their hotel in India.

Kyoya shurgs uncaringly. "Beats me."

"Everyone's going to be watching us now." Nile notes, crossing is arms and leaning back into the sofa.

"I also heard Japan's team is going to be watching in person, as well." Demure says, glancing at Kyoya. He remains calm as ever.

"Also, the winner of this round gets to battle against Gan Gan Galaxy in the next one." Nile adds.

"We will be that team." he swears. "I'm counting on you, Bones." Bones nods distractedly. Nile frowns for a second.

"Hey, Bones. Why do you dislike the India team so much?"

Bones snaps her head up and stares at her team members. She looks at their expectant faces and sighs softly. "Alright. Since I was a little girl, I've always wanted to Beybattle nationally. But in India, girls weren't permitted to Beyblade. Anytime a girl even tried to enter a Bey stadium, she would be harassed and humiliated.

"I had to conceal my identity in order to battle. And even then, I had battle in the underground system and could never attend any public arenas. The three members of Team Chandora are the worst of the worst when it comes to discriminating against girls. Today, I'm going to give them a taste of revenge…"

Kyoya nods his head. "If anyone can do it, it's you." Bones shoots him a small, thankful smile.

"Yeah, teach them a lesson they'll never forget." Nile smirks. Demure laughs quietly. Bones grins at her teammates.

"Thanks, guys…" she grabs the remote. "Want to watch the pre-battle press conference we were supposed to attend to?"

Kyoya shoots her a confused look. "What press conference?"

"Yeah, what were we supposed to attend?" Nile questions. Bones laughs, albeit a bit nervously.

"Huh?" Demure asks.

"Oh, right… Forgot to tell you guys there was a pre-battle press conference before out match with India." She smiles innocently.

"Yeah, right… Forgot…" Kyoya scoffs, his lips twitching to hold back a chuckle.

Bones waves her hand. "Whatever, I sent Benkei, anyways. That way it won't be so troublesome."

"Wait… so Benkei is going to represent us on national TV?" Nile deadpans. Bones' nods gleefully.

"… Well that was smart." Kyoya comments drily. Demure sweatdrops while Nile shakes his head in amusement before turning to the screen.

~("~) (~")~

"Thank you for your patience, everyone! We will now begin this official Beyblade World Championships press conference. First off, please welcome our representatives… the amazing Team Chandora!" the Indian DJ announces.

Red curtains rise from a narrow entranceway, revealing three identically dressed bladers. The crowd cheers enthusiastically as cameras flash repeatedly.

"The steadfast rock, using the master of precision, Rocker Serpent, it's Aniel!" The yellow-haired guy holds up his yellow Bey.

"A whirlwind of Chandora, using Storm Serpent, it's Vridick!" Said person with dark blue hair holds up a blue Bey.

"And the team leader, the 'Serpent God of Fire,' using Flame Serpent, it's Salhan!" The red-haired leader holds up a red Bey.

"Same old…" Bones mutters. "They all use serpent Beys and Salhan is considered the strongest in all of India." she informs the others. Kyoya narrows his eyes.

"Now then, first, let's ask the leader, Salhan, whether he's worried about today's battle!"

The three members of Team Chandora sit at their designated table with three microphones placed in front of each seat.

"Ha! Me? Worried? I don't care if it's Team Wild Fang or anyone else, they'll be just like weak, little kittens when they come to face us!" Salhan crosses his arms and smirks arrogantly.

"It seems that they have remained undefeated so far, but so have we so what's the big deal?" Vridick asks confidently.

Demure rifles through the papers and holds up one of the sheets. "He isn't lying."

Salhan stands up and raises his arms. "Of course we'll decide today's battle with two wins in a row as well." He places a fist on his hip. "We'll make Wild Fang taste defeat for the first time, so keep your eyes open, everyone!" The crowd applauds, drinking up his words like crazy. Cameras flash again and again.

"Oh, it is on! Right away, we have a promise of two wins in a row. Let's see how this other undefeated team responds to this declaration of war!" the DJ announces. "Team Wild Fang!"

"This is going to be hilarious!" Bones chuckles evilly.

The other set of curtains draws back, revealing the silhouette of only one person.

"Huh?" Team Chandora gasps together. The spotlight shines on Benkei masked face.

"How are y'all doing?! I'm Team Wild Fang's newest, bestest member! The super back-up member, Masked Bull!" he roars into a microphone.

Demure's sweatdrop intensifies while Nile hangs his head. Bones buries her face into Nile's back and groans. He flinches slightly but quickly relaxes.

"Did he just come up with a role in the team by himself?" she asks incredulously.

"Yeah… he would do that…" Kyoya grumbles.

"Hey, you guys, here's the scoop, so listen up! You can babble all day long, but this battle will be decided by Wild Fang, winning two in a row! Kyoya won't be stopped by the likes of you, do you understand me?" Benkei points at the India reps.

"He sure looks up to you, Kyoya." Demure comments. Kyoya grunts, unimpressed.

Salhan's shocked face melts back into his usual smirk. "Hm… it's cute that they sent a delivery boy with this message, but I guess this means that you won't actually be in the battle, huh, muffled mask man?"

"So who cares?!" Benkei roars into the microphone, although they were standing only a couple feet apart. Team Chandora squeals and cowers in their chairs. "It is my great honor to walk along with Kyoya and, once he wins, to stand with him at the top of the world! Yes, that will be enough for me… For me, it is all good. That is the way I, the amazing and unanimous Masked Bull, feels about it!" He flashes a thumbs up to the camera.

Bones wipes an invisible tear. "What a moving speech. Maybe I'll worship you someday like that, Kyoya." She snickers as Kyoya shoots her a scowl.

"Um, we don't really care who you are, so if you could go and the real members of the team, that would be swell…" the DJ sweatdrops.

"Kyoya would never participate in a three-ring circus like this!" The DJ flinches at the volume of Benkei's voice. "You'll understand everything once the battle is over, until then, just prepare yourselves for defeat! Over and out!" The Masked Bull throws the microphone onto the ground and exits through the same hallway he had entered by. The static from the microphone fills the tense silence.

Salhan growls. "Well, no matter what their excuse is, in the end they wouldn't come out because they were scared of us, isn't that the case?" He shrugs his shoulders. "Leaving a press conference up to a clown like that, Wild Fang are nothing but a bunch of cowards with a cool name. Nothing more, nothing less!"

"Even without battling, it seems like our victory has already been decided." Vridick adds.

"That's the 4-1-1!" Aniel pipes up for the first time. The crowd cheers as more cameras go off.

"There you have it, the battle that the entire world will be watching starts right now. Don't you dare miss it!" the DJ closes.

"… Well, it could've been worse…" Demure offers tentatively. Nile shrugs.

"C'mon, guys, I told Benkei we'd meet him at the stadium. Let's move." Bones hops off the couch and grabs her cloak.

"Are you going to reveal your identity, today?" Nile asks as they walk out of their room.

"Not only am I going to do that, but I'm also going to rub it into their faces that they lost to a girl!" she laughs darkly.

~("~) (~")~

"How did I do, Kyoya?!" Benkei rushes up to them as soon as they walk into their waiting room. He fawns over Kyoya, much to the green-haired blader's annoyance. The other members stifle their snickers.

"Fine." Kyoya replies shortly. "We're already running late." He glances at the clock. Team Wild Fang ambles slowly to the arena entrance, taking all the time in the world to walk down a ten foot long hallway.

~("~) (~")~

Gingka crosses his arms with a frown across his face. Masamune sits beside him, munching away on some bread he had just bought. "So Benkei appears out of nowhere and onto Kyoya's team?" They had recognized the loud-mouthed blader in an instance.

"Yep, that's Ben-Ben's style, alright!" Yu laughs, oblivious to Gingka's depressed mood.

"What matters is that you're okay, Gingka, you finally get the chance to see Kyoya again. Don't you want to meet with him?" Madoka cuts in, worriedly.

"There's no need to do that." Gingka suddenly grins.

The other members of Gan Gan Galaxy turn to him in surprise. "Huh?"

"Just like Benkei said, the battle is everything to a blader. It's no biggie at all! I can see how much Kyoya has changed his style from here!"

"Now after that ridiculous press conference, let's watch Team Chandora versus Team Wild Fang's battle get underway! Give it up for India's representatives, our very own, Team Chandora!"

The three members of Team Chandora strut into the stadium through yet another set of curtains, waving to their cheering fans.

"We're counting on you, Salhan!"

"Send those fake Beys flying!"

"And next, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Africa's Team Wild Fang! And let's hope it's for real this time!" the DJ continues.

Everyone turns to the second set of curtains on the other side in anticipation. Gingka sits on the edge of his seat, his body tense with a mixed feeling of dread and excitement. The curtains fling open revealing an empty hallway with no Team Wild Fang in sight.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: Damn... another not-so-suspenseful cliff hanger! If you've watched the show, you know what'll happen. **_

_**Kyoya: Why would they even be reading this if they hadn't? *rolls eyes***_

_**Abuani: Hey! I don't need sass here! *sticks out tongue like a mature person***_

_***Kyoya scoffs***_

_**Abunai: Gotta wait until the next chapter to see Bones in action! Hiyah! *kicks Kyoya in the shin***_

_**Kyoya: Ow! What the hell was that for?!**_

_**Abunai: *innocent smile* Sorry, leg spasm. **_


	12. Chapter 11

_**The much anticipated debut battle of Bones is here! *wild cheers* Thank you, thank you! Oh, and I have nothing against India/Indians, they just happened to be the canon team that fights Wild Fang in front of Gan Gan Galaxy. Just to clear things up! **_

"Say what?!" the DJ asks in surprise. India's team looks taken aback. Gradually, footsteps are heard echoing down the hallway, increasing in volume. Five people come into view.

"Ah! It's Kyo-yo!" Yu shouts.

"Kyoya?" Gingka calls tentatively. Kyoya's cold blue eyes immediately narrow in on Gingka's form. He and the other members of Team Wild Fang walk to their podium.

"He was looking over here!" Yu notes.

"Amazing! Even in this huge crowd he was able to pick out Gingka right away!" Madoka comments.

"Hm. I'm right here, Kyoya." Gingka murmurs.

"Boo!" the crowd roars towards the African representatives.

"Ha! Howl at us as much as you want! We'll take all that negative energy and put it right into our Beyblades!" Benkei grins, still dressed in his Masked Bull getup.

"Hm, still talking really tough right up to the battle, huh?" Salhan grins mockingly.

"Enough talk. Let's find out which of these teams will continue down the undefeated path! In this first match, someone must finally take a loss. Here, it all depends! Vridick versus Bones!" the DJ announces.

The crowd roars its approval for the blue-haired blader.

"C'mon, leave it all out there, Vridick!" Salhan says.

"I will. We're going to move on without losing. Mark my words!" Vridick replies determinedly.

"We're counting on ya!"

"Show them who's boss, Bones! Make sure they're on the ropes when you hand things over to Kyoya!" Benkei grabs Demure in a chokehold. The other two members ignore them. Kyoya nods his head.

"Good luck, even though you won't need it." Nile smiles faintly.

Bones chuckles darkly. "They don't even know what's coming." She turns on her heel and heads towards the arena, her dark cloak fluttering behind her.

"It's definitely a surprise to see Bones going! It's always been Nile first, that was their team's pattern from the qualifiers on." Madoka states.

"Nile has always been first, and then Kyoya cleans up in the second. But, Bones hasn't battled even once. What are they planning?" Tsubasa frowns, looking troubled.

"That Bones guy looks strong, doesn't he?" Yu asks.

"Huh, what a weird twist." Masmune speak through a mouthful of food.

The DJ throws his hand up into the air. "Let's get this party started! Ready?"

Vridick and Bones raise their launchers in preparation.

"And 3… 2… 1…!"

"Let it rip!"

"Go now, Storm Serpent, yeah!" Vridicks punches the air before him. His Bey speeds up towards Azrael and crashes head-on in a frontal attack. "Oh, yeah! Stick eye like stink and send him flying!" [_**A/N Is that what he actually says? I can't tell...**_]

"Hm. You always attack first, Vridick. You haven't changed at all, have you?" Bones muses.

"Huh?" the Indian rep looks at Bones with confusion.

"Don't you recognize me? I mean it has been a while, after all…" Bones laughs drily.

"What is he talking about?" Yu demands.

"Maybe they know each other or something." Gingka replies, shrugging his shoulders.

"I bet this'll help you remember!" Bones whips off her cloak, letting it flutter to the ground. Everyone in the stadiums takes in a large breath.

"Wh-What?!" Vridick gasps, reeling away in shock.

"Woah! Bones is a girl, not a guy! A pretty one, too!" Yu breathes in surprise.

"What is this we're seeing? Team Wild Fang's mysterious third member finally shows herself to the crowds! What a surprise!"

"What are you doing here?" Salhan demands. "Go back to where you belong!"

"I'm here to crush you and all of your stupid ideas on Beyblading!" Bones declares. "Here we go, Destiny Azrael!" Azrael abruptly changes direction with a click and begins to push back against Storm Serpent, sparks fly into the air form the friction.

"Woah! What just happened?" Masamune exclaims, bread falling out of his open mouth.

"It looks like Azrael just changed directions…!" Tsubasa stares in disbelief. Madoka types furiously on her minicomputer.

"It's because of its Double Flat tip!" An enlarged picture of Azrael opens up on Madoka's screen as Gan Gan Galaxy leans forward to look. "The special tip allows the Bey to spin both left and right without losing balance!"

"Amazing!" Gingka exclaims.

"What are we seeing?! Bones has just changed directions! What is this fearsome Bey, Destiny Azrael?!" the DJ yells.

Vridick grits his teeth. "I won't let you win like this!"

"Too bad for you, but I'm going to crush you with one move!" Bones sneers and lifts her right arm into the air. "You should feel lucky, I haven't shown this to anyone! This is your end… Azrael, Special Move: Heavenly Divine Judgment!"

Azrael pulls away from grinding against Storm Serpent and races with alarming speed around the circumference of the arena. Bones' Bey beast hovers over the middle of the stadium with its bony hands together in a prayer and black wings unfurled majestically. A blasting beam of light falls onto the stadium causing everyone, minus Team Wild Fang who are smirking victoriously, to flinch away from the brightness.

"Augh!" Vridick stares at his Bey, now lying motionless in the stadium once the light disappears. Azrael continues to spin beautifully next to the fallen Bey.

"Woah!" Team Gan Gan Galaxy gasps.

"Eh?!" the other two members of India's team look troubled.

"Unbelievable! In the blink of an eye, Vridick's Storm Serpent has been defeated! If you had told me Vridick would be beaten so fast, I would have called you a fool!" the DJ leans over the railings, his eyes wide with surprise.

Bones snatches Azrael back with two fingers. "How does it feel to be beaten by a girl?" She turns away without waiting for an answer and strides back to her team's podium.

"B-B-B-Bull! Well done, Bones!" Benkei cheers, cutting through the awed silence.

"It's all yours…" Bones smirks at Kyoya arrogantly, giddy with her victory.

"Okay…" Kyoya grins back, equally as arrogant. Bones steps up onto the podium, passing the green-haired blader.

"I kicked Bey butt!" she cheers so only the four of them could hear, throwing her arms around Nile's neck. He his cheeks redden slightly as he hesitantly wraps his arms around her slim waist.

"It was amazing." he murmurs into her ear and spins her in a circle before setting her down gently. Bones squeals quietly before laughing along with Nile.

Benkei watches their interaction and wipes away a tear. "So romantic…" Demure smiles next to him, happy for his friends.

Vridick, who is still standing up on the stadium, drops to his knees. "It can't be…"

"What happened out there?" Gingka demands disbelievingly.

"The stadium was light up for a moment, but…" Tsubasa doesn't know how to continue.

"It was way too fast to be able to see what went down…!" Masamune finishes in amazement.

"I didn't even have time to analyze it!" Madoka glances down at her computer, fingers frozen in the midst of typing.

"Well let's slap ourselves back to reality and continue with the second match! Wild Fang is sending its leader, Kyoya, just as they said in the press conference, they're aiming for two wins in a row!"

"Of course we are! Go, go, Kyoya!" Benkei grabs Demure again and raises his free arm into the air. Demure struggles futilely in his grasp. Nile and Bones watch emotionlessly.

"What next, Kyoya?" Gingka calls in anticipation.

"Huh! It ends here and now!" Team Chandora's leader stomps to the stadium, fired up for battle.

"Take no prisoners, Salhan!" Aniel encourages.

"His opponent from our Team Chandora is the one, the only, Salhan!" the DJ cheers along with the crowd. "Our team's winning streak was stopped, but will now begin again. This time, Wild Fang's incredible wins will end and fast!"

"Salhan! Salhan! Salhan!" the crowd doesn't miss a beat.

"If he beats Kyoya, our team can charge down the unbeaten path once again!"

"Huh, things sure are getting lively!" Kyoya grins maliciously.

"You better laugh it up while you can, okay, Kyoya? I've been preparing for this day for a long time, I've thoroughly analyzed all of your battles." Salhan announces proudly.

"Good for you." Kyoya replies sarcastically.

"I'm going to make you disappear, right here!"

"What fun, huh? Go ahead and try, why don't ya?"

Salhan whips out his launchers and begins the countdown.

"3… 2… 1…!"

"Let it rip!"

"Leone, Lion Gale Force Wall!" Kyoya shouts.

"Woah! Right away?" the Indian representative flinches.

A large tornado rips from Leone, sending Flame Serpent dangerously close to the edge of the arena. Salhan growls.

"Oh, you're still there, huh?" Kyoya asks uncarinly.

"I'm not going anywhere! Not until I beat you! Go, Flame Serpent!" His Bey swerves back and forth around Leone.

"Hm?" Kyoya grunts, wondering briefly what his opponent is doing.

"More! Spin even more! Do it, Serpent!" Salhan punches the air in front of him. Flame Serpent continues its wavy pattern around Leone, moving just like a slithering snake. The Bey leaves a burning trail that blazes fiercely in the arena.

"Oh, my! Now what's up? The whirlwind Leone created has begun to waver as if it's in a haze of heat!" the DJ says.

"Hahahaha!" Salhan cackles. "Hot enough for ya?"

Madoka suddenly shoots up from her seat. "I get it! Flame Serpent's rotation is heating up the ground and thereby an updraft in the very arena itself!"

"Huh?" Gan Gan Galaxy turns back to watch the battle play out.

"Get him! Special Move: Serpent Burning Barrage!" Flame Serpent cuts through Leone's weakened tornado and attacks head-on. The whirlwind disperses with a blast.

"Where's Kyoya's Lion Gale Force Wall?" Gingka shouts.

"India's team is better than I thought!" Masamune leans forward.

"How that?! Your wind control techniques won't work here! What did I tell you?!" Salhan asks mockingly.

"You've told me nothing!" Kyoya roars back.

Salhan reels away in shock. "Huh?"

"The opponent you're thinking of is the old Kyoya, not this one! Someone like you is no match for the new me!"

India's team leader growls, infuriated. This declaration was a blow to Beyblading pride.

"Only one person can challenge me… Gingka!" Kyoya whips around to face the Japan's team leader.

"Ah?" Gingka's eyes widen.

"You, and you alone!"

"K-Kyoya!" Benkei whispers in awe. Bones smirks ever so slightly.

"In order to defeat you, I have worked without rest for months to keep on improving my blading skills! What should I do to win against you… What do I need to stop Pegasus… I've found it! I've found those answers!" Kyoya clenches his fist.

"What?" Gingka inhales sharply.

"Pay attention!" Salhan cuts in. "You'll have to get by me first!" Flame Serpent rushes towards Leone once again. However, Leone holds back against the attack. "Ah!"

"Go now, Leone! Do it!"

Leone sends Flame Serpent bouncing back before ramming into it.

"But Leone is a defense type Bey!" Madoka exclaims.

"It's acting like an attack type, now!" Masamune notes.

"Ha! Leone is undefeatable!" Kyoya shouts. "Not done yet!" Leone propels itself high into the air.

"What now?" Masamune asks rhetorically.

"It jumped!" Gingka breathes incredulously.

"Watch closely now, Gingka! Watch and witness the lion's new fangs!"

Leone tips upside down at the peak of its height and forms an upside down tornado that spiral into the ground.

The audience draws a collective gasp.

"What is that?!" Salhan cries.

"The tornado is facing downwards!" Gingka realizes.

Kyoya's Bey beast, a lion, charges through its tornado and claws viciously at Flame Serpent. The whirlwind disappears as Salhan's Bey is sent flying out of the stadium.

"Even Salhan has been defeated! Just as the oddball Bull predicted, Wild Fang continues with two wins in a row! With Kyoya's easy victory, they move past this round!"

"No… No way!" the Indian blader trembles with defeat.

"He totally smoked that guy!" Masamune grins.

"You're awesome, Kyo-yo!" Yu pumps his arms above his head.

"That's my Kyoya! Yeah, baby!" Benkei wails, tears pouring down his face. He continues to strangle Demure unconsciously, causing tears to well up in the African blader's eyes.

"Should I be worried?" Bones sweatdrops. Nile sighs and closes his eyes.

Kyoya clenches his Bey tightly with one hand. "This is only the beginning…"

"Huh?" Everyone looks at the green-haired blader in shock.

"What you've seen here today was nothing at all! Here me, Gingka, I'm holding back Leone's true strength for when I battle you!" Kyoya snarls and thrusts his Bey out towards Gingka.

The two Japanese bladers have an intense stare down. "I look forward to it! I'll be ready to meet your challenge, Kyoya!" Gingka shouts. Kyoya smirks in satisfication.

_Back in Japan…_

"There you have it, folks! Gan Gan Galaxy's next opponent has been decided! The sure to be amazing round battle will be Gan Gan Galaxy versus Wild Fang! The stage for this fateful showdown between rivals will be… right here in Japan!" the Japanese DJ exclaims, appearing once again on TV.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: Not bad, not bad...**_

_**Demure: What isn't?**_

_**Abunai: I don't know. Why are you asking me?**_

_**Demure: *sweatdrops* Uh...**_

_**Kyoya: *sighs* Don't even bother... It's impossible to argue with Abunai... **_

_**Abunai: Teehee! **__***drools while half asleep* **_These ending conversations are getting really pointless though... There's nothing to say... *yawn*

_**Kyoya: Then don't add them, I mean no one is go- Hey!**_

_***Abunai is asleep***_


	13. Chapter 12

_**Heyo all! I can't believe it's chapter 12! Yay! I haven't been getting any homework done lately... O_o Midterms are coming up so the chapters might upload a bit slower, sorry guys! On to the reading~!**_

"It looks like we'll be moving on, undefeated." Demure chuckles. The four guys are sitting at the table, waiting for Bones to finish cooking.

"Yeah! Kyoya, you were amazing out there! You too, Bones!" Benkei adds. Kyoya stares at the table in deep thought. Bones walks out of the kitchen, carrying a large pot.

"Hey, Bones, that special move you used earlier was awesome!" Demure comments. Bones ladles the soup into each of their bowls.

"I was saving it for the perfect moment." she replies. Nile nods his thanks once she fills up his bowl.

They eat over a rather loud conversation, thanks to Benkei. Chatting about anything and everything. Kyoya remains quiet throughout the dinner.

"Hey, Kyoya. Are you nervous?" Demure turns to the leader.

Kyoya scoffs. "Hardly, I'm ready to take him down." He leans back in his chair confidently.

Bones stands up, chair scraping backwards. "I'm going outside for a little." She exits swiftly, leaving the other members to finish eating. Nile stares after her retreating form.

"Seconds!" Benkei yells, slamming his empty bowl onto the table.

~("~) (~")~

Bones walks slowly down the street, taking in the crisp air of the night. She looks up at the twinkling stars. _What a beautiful night…_ Closing her eyes, she pictures her win against Vridick, smiling smugly to herself.

Suddenly, something rams into her back, sending her careening forward onto the pavement. Bones coughs, winded from the attack, and sits up.

"Who's there?! Sho-" she's cut off as someone's foot is rammed into her stomach. A bunch of feet appear in her line of vision as she hunches over in pain.

"Well, well… Look at who we have here…" a taunting voice sneers, yanking back Bones' head by her pale blonde hair. "If it isn't the spoiled rich brat, Nyx." Bones' eyes flash in recognition at the name.

She executes a perfect roundhouse kick, sending her attacker flying. "Don't you dare call me that anymore! I left that name behind along with my past here!" Bones rushes towards the fallen figure again, but other hands grab her roughly, preventing her from moving.

Her attacker spits onto the ground and picks himself up. He wipes his mouth and sneers at Bones' struggling form.

"You little brat!" He strikes her across the face before kicking her repeatedly. His friends shout words of encouragement. Bones chokes on air and pants raggedly in pain.

"Pathetic girls like you shouldn't be Beyblading! You made a fool of India's team…! You! A puny, weak girl like you!" he shouts in her face, spit flying everywhere. The restraining hands shake her violently, her head lolling in circles.

~("~) (~")~

Nile idly stirs his soup with a spoon, his chin resting on his left palm. The conversation around him dimmed in the background becoming a low buzzing noise.

_Bones… Does she feel the same way?_

The Egyptian blader shook his head to clear his mind. He needed to think about the World Championships and not about his female teammate. Unknowingly to the conflicted blader, Kyoya was watching him with a keen eye.

"Thinking about someone?" he smirks. Demure and Benkei's conversation abruptly comes to a stop.

Nile jolts in his seat, almost dropping his spoon in the process. "N-No! What are you talking about?!" he demands defensively.

"You know what I'm talking about…" Kyoya hints subtly. Benkei, however, answers his question bluntly.

"Thinking about Bones! B-B-Bull! You two would be great together!" he howls.

_Is it really that obvious?_ Nile resists slamming his head on the table in frustration.

"I think it would be a nice relationship…" Demure smiles slightly, timid as usual in voicing his opinion.

Nile stands up, almost causing his chair to tip over. "I don't know what you guys are talking about. I'm leaving."

"Off to see Bones?" Kyoya teases. His question is answered by the door slamming.

"Think so, Kyoya?" Benkei prods.

Kyoya scoffs and crosses his arms confidently. "Think so? I know so." Demure nods in agreement.

~("~) (~")~

Bones' blinks to clear her dizziness and scowls. She spits in his face before biting the arm that's restraining her. The person behind roars with pain and immediately lets go. Bones staggers around on her feet only to be knocked down again. Her head collides with the ground sharply.

"I'll teach you a lesson!" he roars, beating her to the ground. Her vision swims with each blow. She screams in pain, hearing something snap. He snatches her Bey and holds it up triumphantly. "I'll make it so you won't ever be able to Beyblade again!"

"No!" Bones cries. Azrael flashes and sends the attackers flying with a slicing wave. She scrambles to pick up her precious Bey with shaky fingers and clutches it tightly. Bones winces every time she breathes. _ #!*% , I think they broke a rib!_

The attackers scramble to their feet, fear flashing across their faces. "We've finished here, let's go!" They run off like cowards into the night, leaving Bones swaying on her unsteady legs.

There's a brief period of dead silence.

"Bones! Bones, where are you?" a familiar voice calls. He spots her shaken form and hurries over quickly. "Bones, what happened?!" He grasps her just as she begins to fall. Gentle hands brush away the hair that's covering her bruised face.

Bones blinks, opening her eyes blearily. "Nile…" she breathes, recognizing her rescuer.

"What happened?! Who did this to you?!" Nile demands angrily. Bones' fingers flutter over Nile's cheekbones lightly. He presses her hand against his face with his and relaxes his tense body.

"N-Nile… I-I..." Bones whispers, her vision growing darker and darker. The Egyptian blader scoops her up into his arms and begins walking back to their hotel.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. Just stay awake, okay?" he cooes gently. Nile tries not to jostle the injured girl in his arms too much as they make their way back to safety.

"I… think..." Bones' eyes weigh heavier and begin to close by themselves. Nile's profile begins to grow hazier and hazier. "I think… I…"

And then there's nothing.

~("~) (~")~

"How is she?" Nile asks worriedly. Team Wild Fang crowd around the doctor as he exits Bones' hospital room.

The doctor looks intimidated by Benkei's, Nile's, and Kyoya's looming shadows. "I've done everything that I can. The rest is up to her, but I think she'll make it out fine."

Kyoya grabs him by his doctor's coat and brings him closer to his face. "She better! Or I'll make you pay." he snarls. The doctor sputters. Kyoya scoffs and drops him. Once freed, the doctor scrambles away from the temperamental blader.

"Sorry, he's a bit stressed." Demure apologizes lamely. The doctor brushes himself off and hastily shakes his head. Kyoya shoots them a glare causing the doctor to squeak and run down the hall, frightened.

"Let's go in." Nile twists the doorknob and walks inside the white room.

Bones lies peacefully on the hospital bed, her blonde hair surrounding her head like a halo. An oxygen mask covers the lower half of her face and an IV tube runs out from her arm. The heart monitor beside the bed beeps steadily as her chest rises and falls gently.

Kyoya crosses his arms and leans by the door, staring at Bones' unconscious form. He scowls darkly, vowing revenge for his teammate. Benkei places a vase brimming with colorful, mismatched flowers on the small bedside table, weeping dramatically. Demure stands awkwardly at the foot of the bed with a solemn expression.

Nile stares down at Bones' pale face with an unreadable look on his face. He takes her limp hand and presses Azrael into her palm before placing it back by her side. Leaning over her, Nile brushes away the hair from her angelic face and trails his hand down her porcelain skin to her collarbone before retracting his hand.

"We will not face defeat." Kyoya snarls, staring defiantly at the other three members. Benkei sniffles and runs the back of his hand across his eyes.

"Even without Bones, we will still win." Nile clenches his fist resolutely.

Demure gives a firm nod. "Yes."

"Demure you will be a regular for now, and Benkei, you'll be a temporary replacement." Kyoya orders.

"I will definitely win! For Bones!" Benkei raises his arm. The four of them walk out with renewed vigor. Nile casts one last backwards glance before the door shuts.

_Just watch us, Bones…_

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: *wailing* This is so sad! What's going to happen to Bones?!**_

_**Kyoya: *sweatdrops* You're the author, you should know...**_

_**Abunai: Quiet, Kyoya! Don't ruin the ending for me! *continues crying***_

_**Kyoya: ... **_

_**Nile: I gave up understanding her. **_

_***Demure nods***_

_***Abunai continues to cry***_


	14. Chapter 13

_**YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS CHAPTER... PROBABLY. (-.-') IT'S THE SCENE YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! I'M PROBABLY SPOILING IT FOR YOU, BUT OH WELL. Oh, and thank you everyone who has been reading this from the beginning! "With You" now has over a thousand views! I'm so happy! ToT Arigato, minna!**_

Bones' dark eyes suddenly fly open. She tenses, slowly taking in the foreign surrounding. Once realizing that she is in a hospital, she relaxes with a sigh.

The door bursts open and a nurse clad in white hustles in with a clipboard in hand. "Oh, it looks like you've finally woken up!" She pokes and prods Bones while asking her a bunch of questions about her health.

"How long have I been here?" Bones asks, once the checkup is finished.

"Oh, you've been unconscious for two days now!" she replies in a cheery voice. Bones frowns and then her eyes widen in realization.

"Two days… Our battle against Gan Gan Galaxy is today!" Bones gasps. She throws off her blankets and swings her legs over to the side of the bed.

The nurse tsks and pushes her back down forcefully. "Oh, sorry, but you won't be leaving here for a while. Not with you looking like that."

Bones scowls. "What are you talking about? Nothing hurts."

"Oh, that's just because you're on numbing medication right now." Bones' nurse explains carefully.

"Look…" Bones glances at the woman's name tag that's pinned to her uniform. "… Ritika, I'm part of Team Wild Fang. I have to be at our next competition!"

"Oh, but you can't go with those injuries. Besides, even if you do take the quickest transportation to Japan, you still won't get there in time." Ritika replies, a sunny smile plastered on her face.

Bones slams her head back onto the pillow in aggravation. What the annoying nurse said was true, Bones knew that. But she couldn't just ditch her teammates when the most important match of the Championships is about to happen.

"Oh, it looks like someone was here before." Ritika beams, gesturing to the flowers on the table. Next to the vase of blindingly colorful flowers is Azrael. "Oh, look, they even brought you flowers too, isn't that nice?" The nurse's peppiness and her speech impediment made Bones want to strangle herself.

"Yeah…" Bones trailed off, still having an internal debate with herself.

"Is it from a boy?" the nurse leans closer, invading Bones' personal space with her suffocating sunny disposition. "A secret admirer perhaps?"

Immediately, a picture of Nile pops up in Bones' mind. The pale blader gives her head a firm shake, erasing the image from her mind. "No one," she answers a bit too quickly. Ritika smiles as if she knows a deep secret of Bones, unnerving the blonde.

"Oh, alright, then…" she flips through the papers in her hands. "Nyx Haddiyom, yes?"

"Don't call me that." Bones instinctively snarls. The nurse doesn't even flinch and continues to beam happily. "I go by Bones." Dark childhood memories bubble up in the back of her mind. _I'll never be weak like that ever again…_

"Oh, I see." she nods understandingly before scribbling something down.

"I hate everything about that name…" Bones mumbles, seemingly forgetting the presence of the overly cheery woman next to her.

"Oh, well, the World Championships are broadcasted here." The nurse completely disregards the sudden mood shift and flits over to the television remote. She presses the red button, the television coming to life. "Oh, I'll just leave you here to relax. Don't strain yourself!" The nurse glides out of the room, thankfully taking her bright attitude with her.

Bones flips through the channels before finding the right one. She turns up the volume and stares at the familiar faces on the screen.

_Hm… It looks like I missed the conference… I wonder if they even showed up this time… _

Bones watches as Nile easily overpowers Masamune in the first round, totally crushing the overconfident Japanese blader. Then staring tensely as Kyoya's and Gingka's battle ends with a messy tie. The third battle causes a smirk to cross her pallid features. Demure and Benkei had tricked Gan Gan Galaxy into a team battle.

_Very smart… I'll bet that was Nile's idea…_

To her surprise, Wild Fang loses that round as Japan's third member's power suddenly explodes. By the time it was the deciding round, Bones was sitting at the edge of her bed in anticipation.

~("~) (~")~

Bones' jaw drops at the outcome. "N-No way… We lost…" She stares unseeingly at the white sheets that cover her legs. "Nile lost…?"

Without thinking, she stumbles out of bed and hastily dresses herself in her normal clothes. Bones drapes a cloak around her shoulders and grabs her Bey before cautiously poking her head out of the door. Once determining that the coast is clear, she darts down the hallways, cursing once her chest starts to throb painfully.

_ #!*% ribs… _

She weaves her way through a group of visitors, snagging a cell phone from someone's back pocket along the way. With nimble fingers, Bones dials a number and holds the white electronic device up to her ear.

"Hello. What's the fastest way to reach Japan?"

_Nile… I'm coming!_

~("~) (~")~

Nile sits on the grass, Vulcan Horuseus in front of him. He stares at his Bey for a moment before glancing up at the starry night.

It was around midnight in Japan and the Egyptian blader couldn't fall asleep. So he had left the hotel Team Wild Fang was staying at and had wandered to a nearby stream. His mind was filled with the battle that had happened earlier with Japan. More specifically, that last battle where he had teamed up with Kyoya.

Nile groans and slumps on to the ground. _How could I have lost? I let everyone down… Kyoya was supposed to win one of the battles with Gingka,that was the whole point. _

He raises Horuseus to up to his face. _I let my Bey down, too. _Nile drops his arm down to his side with a heavy sigh. He tilts his head to one side, eyes closed in deep thought.

_And… I let Bones down, too. I promised to win for her and everything. Geez, I'm so-_

"Nile!" a familiar voice cuts through the silent atmosphere. Said person abruptly sits up and squints in the darkness of the night. "Nile!" He spots her waving her arm to him from the bridge that climbs over the stream.

"Bones…?" Nile asks incredulously. He blinks his eyes to make sure his brain wasn't playing tricks on him. The pale girl jumps off the bridge onto the grassy banks, stumbling a bit before regaining her footing. She races over to the Egyptian blader and tackles him to the ground with a crushing hug.

"There you are, I've been looking for you…!" she giggles into his ear, sending irregular shivers down his spine.

"Bones? What… What are you doing here? How did you even get here?!"

Bones sits up and straddles Nile's stomach with a pout. "Are you not happy to see me?" Nile splutters incoherently, thankful for the darkness that shields his pink cheeks from the blonde.

"Uh… N-No… I…"

She waves him off dismissively, "I was kidding! I took a nice plane here and had to find which hotel you guys were staying at… Stalking is quiet difficult, you know."

~("~) (~")~

_Bones raps on door number 145, silently hoping that this was in fact the room Wild Fang was staying in. It took some well-placed threats to get the person at the front to tell her which room it was, so it had better be right. _

_No one answered. Bones knocked again, this time a bit more forcefully. After waiting for a few minutes, she gave up being polite and banged on the door with all of her strength. Bones wouldn't have been surprised if everyone on that floor had woken up due to the ruckus she was making. _

_The door swings open in the middle of Bones' assault, resulting in her unintentionally punching someone in the gut. _

_"Oof!" the large figure stumbles back, winded slightly. _

_"… Benkei?" Bones calls. The figure straightens up and flicks on the light, temporarily blinding the both of them._

_"Bones?! Bones! B-B-Bull! How'd you get here?!" Benkei yells in surprise. _

_"Not important…" Bones strides past him. Two pairs of feet thump down the hallway and tear into the room. "Oh, hey… Kyoya. Demure." _

_The two mentioned persons stare at Bones as if they had seen a ghost. _

_"How did you get in here?!" Kyoya demands. He was shirtless and in only a pair of boxers but didn't seem to notice. (A/N: Okay, wipe up your drool.) _

_"At least I'm here, right?" Bones grins and gives them both a hug. Kyoya just stares at her unimpressed while Demure at least returns the hug lightly. _

_"We're glad you're back, Bones."_

_"Did the doctors even let you out?" Kyoya crosses his arms with an eyebrow raised. _

_"Well… they kind of don't even know I'm out… But that's just minor detail…" Bones chuckles nervously. Demure sweatdrops. _

_"B-B-Bull! We thought you were dead, Bones!" Benkei weeps dramatically. Everyone ignores his outburst. _

_"Hey… where's Nile?" Bones glances around, not finding any trace of the Egyptian blader. _

_"He went outside for some fresh air." Demure informs her quietly. _

_"Yeah… Been getting fresh air for about four hours now…" Kyoya rolls his eyes. "I'm going back to sleep." The green-haired blader promptly turns around._

_"Ahahaha… He might not show it, but he did miss you…" Demure scratches his head, glancing at Kyoya's retreating back. "We all did. Especially Nile." _

_Bones turns away, suppressing the heat that threated to crawl up to her cheeks. "Oh, really? Well, I missed you all, too… Where is Nile anyways?" Benkei was still crying in the background. _

_"There's a stream near here, he should be around there." Demure directs vaguely. Bones nods her thanks and promptly exits the room. "Say, Kyoya, do you think they'll finally get together?" _

_Said Japanese blader steps out from the shadows where he was eavesdropping with his infamous smirk adorning his face. "Yeah."_

~("~) (~")~

Nile sweatdrops slightly before chuckling softly. How he had missed Bones' random behavior. His lighthearted demeanor fades away as he remembers what he was thinking about before Bones had arrived.

"Bones… I…" he begins.

"I watched your guys' battle on the TV, today." Bones rolls off of Nile and lies on her back. Nile closes his eyes, ready for the worst. "You were amazing, by the way."

Nile's head snaps towards her direction and he stares at her incredulously. "What? But… I lost…"

"Yeah, I know…" Bones props her head up on her palm and face Nile with a soft a smile gracing her dark lips. "But I thought you were amazing anyways. We all have to lose sometime in our life."

Nile stares at Bones with wide eyes, his breathing becoming shallower. Her face was mere inches from his, tempting him.

"I haven't seen you lose, yet." he mumbles. Bones laughs and nods in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm just that awesome." she states arrogantly. "Bow down to me, peasant!" This time, they both laugh.

"Why you!" Nile growls and tackles Bones, causing them to tumble down the gentle slope. Somehow, he ends up on top of her, arms support his weight on either side of her head. Bones' light hair spilling over his forearms glow angelically in the moonlight, giving her an ethereal appearance.

"I want to kiss you." he suddenly blurts out. Once realizing what he had just said, he ducks his head in embarrassment. Bones' dark eyes widen and her breath catches in her throat. "Um… I mean…"

"Go for it." she breathes softly. Her slender arms magically appear around his neck, gently guiding his face closer to hers. Bones' smoldering dark eyes seem to challenge him.

Nile takes up the challenge and leans down to gently press his lips against hers.

~("~) (~")~

"So…" Demure trails off awkwardly. The five members sat around a small round table eating breakfast. A heavy silence enveloped the group, especially around Bones and Nile.

"Did you guys finally kiss?!" Benkei pounds the table, finally breaking. Nile and Bones stare at him, dumbfounded at the lack of subtlety.

"Wha…?! When did you…? How… None of yo-" Nile growls, cheeks dusted with pink.

"Yeah." Bones interrupts bluntly. Nile gapes at her in shock. Benkei begins to sing praises at the top of his lungs while twirling around in the room.

"Heh…" Kyoya smirks satisfactorily and holds out his hand towards Demure. The African blader sighs and places a few slips of money into Kyoya's outstretched palm.

"You were betting on us?!" Nile sputters.

"Mhm. Thanks to you, I win." Kyoya replies smugly, pocketing the money. Demure sweatdrops as Nile grits his teeth.

A small hand on his stops him from exploding. "Let them have their fun." Bones smiles widely at the Egyptian blader. Nile immediately relaxes and slumps in his seat.

"These guys…" he mutters. But upon seeing Bones' cheerful smile, Nile's spirit lifts and becomes content once again. He sighs and shakes his head with a small smile before lacing his fingers in between Bones', their hands fitting perfectly together.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: That was cheesy, I could even smell it...**_

_**Kyoya: No kidding... *snorts***_

_**Abunai: It was so beautiful and CHEESY!**_

_**Demure: Ah, yes. We heard you the first time...**_

_**Abunai: CHEESY, I TELL YOU! **_

_***Demure sighs***_

_**Kyoya: ... You should go check your mental stability. **_

_**Abunai: I broked the doctor's brain with mine. *smiles proudly***_

_**Kyoya: That's not even a word. **_

_**Abunai: I KNOW. COZ IT'S SO CHEESY!**_

_***Kyoya facepalms***_


	15. Chapter 14

_**I know... I know... You guys are probably all like: "What?! Abunai didn't upload yesterday! Gasp! The world must be ending!" Well... in my defense, I've been uploading a chapter everyday (harder than it sounds O.o) and didn't have anytime to write yesterday. PARTYING ALL NIGHT LONG! Nah, I wish... But, anyways, I have uploaded! You all may start breathing again. **_

_**And, yes, the world is ending. **_

"This might be our last stop as a team, guys." Bones states. Team Wild Fang stands at the exit of the airport. Due to their loss to Gan Gan Galaxy, they were now officially out of the Championships.

"How do you think the president will react?" Demure winces, imagining terrible things the president of Savannah might do to them once they exit the safety of the airport. Nile shrugs.

"We'll have to face him sooner or later. Let's go." Kyoya orders, opening the door. As the four of them step out into the waiting area of the airport, large cheers erupt from an incredibly large crowd.

"Eh?" Bones mutters. "What's this?"

"Welcome back!" the president steps forward, officers standing protectively behind him in an intimidating sort of manner. A loud cheer erupts, as if celebrities had arrived.

"But… we lost…!" Demure protests weakly, sweatdropping at the huge amount of people that had shown up.

"The purpose of entering the Beyblade World Championships was to spread the name of Savannah. You all did just that, and even more! Savannah is quickly filling up with visitors and becoming well-known throughout the world. Thank you!"

The crowd cheers again as Team Wild Fang's fan clubs wave posters in the air.

"I see Kyoya!"

"Oh my gosh, it's Nile!"

"Demure is over there!"

"Look, it's Bones!"

The over excited crowd breaks through the barrier and swarms the four new celebrities. There were even a few people there for Benkei as well. Many small children asked for autographs of the overwhelmed Wild Fang members.

"Will you sign my Bey for me?" A cute little girl thrusts her pink Bey into Bones' hands before handing her a black marker.

"… Sure…?" Bones quickly regains her composition and scribbles her name as well as a small doodle of a skull onto the little girl's face bolt.

"Awesome! Thank you very much!" the girl squeals before taking off to show her friends the new graffiti on her Bey. Bones glances around at her teammates to see how well they're faring amidst the overly enthusiastic crowd.

Demure glances around in a panic with a sweatdrop ever present on his head as he is engulfed by a huge crowd of children. Nile calmly signs paper after paper, looking unruffled as ever. Benkei, on the other hand, stumbles around as toddlers grasp onto his clothes. The children cling on to his arms while shrieking with laughter as they are spun around.

No one dares to go near Kyoya. There's a circle of admiring children around the green-haired teen, but none have the courage to confront him. Said blader stands in the middle of an empty circle with his arms crossed and eyes closed, unperturbed to the chaos around him.

Bones shakes her head with amusement. _Ever the people's person, huh?_

~("~) (~")~

The next couple of days, Team Wild Fang stayed at Savannah. The four closely knit members couldn't bear to break apart and lingered as one despite not being a team anymore. They continued to train, eat, and relax in the presence of one another. Even the ever stoic Kyoya wasn't seen without at least one other member beside him, usually Benkei. Meanwhile, Nile's and Bone's relationship grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.

"Where's Kyoya and Benkei?" Bones yawns. Her head rests on Nile's lap as he polishes Horuseus. The Egyptian blader pauses his movements as he thinks briefly.

"I don't know." he finally admits.

Demure looks up from reading a random book he found lying around. "Um… I think they're training…"

"Oh…" Bones trails off, picking at the cloth covering Nile's knee absentmindedly. "They're probably watching the World Championship's final battle."

Demure nods. "If I remember correctly, it's USA's Team Star Breaker against Gan Gan Galaxy. Should we…?"

Bones' hums in agreement while Nile continues to polish his Bey with the tiniest of nods.

Demure picks up the remote and turns on the large television. He flips the channels before stopping on WBBA's.

~("~) (~")~

As soon as the Championships end with Gingka pulling off a miraculous victory, the door slams open. Three heads turn one way, only to find Kyoya standing in the entrance with his cloak fluttering behind him. Benkei hunches over behind the green-haired blader, panting noisily.

"Let's go." Kyoya demands.

"Huh? Where are we going?" Nile questions. Bones sits up and stretches before leaning on Nile's shoulder comfortably.

"Ryuga showed up to the Ch-" Kyoya begins.

"Yeah, we know. We were watching." Bones cuts him off. Kyoya stares at them with a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

"… Well, if Ryuga's showed up, that means something big is about to happen. We're heading for Japan!"

"B-B-B-Bull! I'm with you, Kyoya, buddy!" Benkei cheers loudly, breathing properly again. Demure shoots Kyoya a nervous glance.

"Might as well… There's been nothing to do lately now that the Championships are over." Bones hops off the couch and tugs Nile along with her.

~("~) (~")~

"What do you know? You were right, Kyoya…" Bones drawls. Multiple explosions blast aside cars and into buildings. The familiar sound of Beys crashing into each other ring repeatedly in the air.

Kyoya smirks. "Of course. What's the scope, Demure?"

Team Wild Fang stood high up on the top of one of the taller buildings in Japan. They looked down on the streets with a bird eye view.

"Gingka is fighting Damien and Jack, both from Team Star Breaker. Masamune and I think Dashan from Wang Hu Zhong are fighting against Julian from Team Excalibur and Argo from Team Garcias. The other Chinese members, Mei-Mei, Chao Xin, and Chi-Yun along with a short, green-haired blader are up against Selen and Enzo Garcia." Demure reports, using his keen eyes to spot everyone.

"That must be Kenta!" Benkei shouts.

"Alright. Benkei and Demure, you two stick together and help Kenta. Nile and Bones, you'll back up Masamune. And it looks like I'm going to have to save Gingka again." Kyoya points to the battle scene below with a tooth-filled grin.

The others nod before leaping away in their assigned pairs. Bones grins darkly, her blood boiling for the excitement soon about to happen. _Finally, some real action!_

~("~) (~")~

"Nile… do you know where we're going?"

"We'll just follow the explosions."

"I'm pretty sure we just ran right past them."

"What?!"

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: Dang... That was the most boring filler I've ever written in my history of writing... *sweatdrops***_

_**Kyoya: Tell me about it... It was even boring to be written in it. *smirks***_

_**Abunai: *pulls out iron* Shut up! Or I'll iron your shirt!**_

_**Kyoya: ... So scary... *rolls eyes***_

_**Abunai: You should be scared! For I am... IRON MAN! Actually woman... coz I'm not a man and... *continues rambling***_

_**Kyoya: *exits stage left***_


	16. Chapter 15

_**Hey, guys! Sorry, but this is another filler chapter... ^^' Don't kill me yet! Don't worry, the next chapter will have more action... I hope... I'm doing based off of the real story line, so it can't be helped... .-. Please comment! I love reading them! **_

"Now Destroyer, Black Excalibur!" Julian sweeps his arms outwards.

"What?!" Dashan and Masamune cry in unison.

Julian's Bey, Gravity Destroyer, glows a bright purple as an intimidating gladiator appears from within a beam of light. Julian's Bey spirit wields a large, dark purple sword and brings it above his head for a crushing blow.

"Go now!" a familiar voice calls.

"To the rhythm!" another shouts.

A Bey flies in front of Dashan's and Masamune's Beys, taking on Julian's attack head on.

"Mystic Zone!"

A column of gold light forms around the three Beys, protecting Masamune's and Dashan's.

"What?!" Julian exclaims, taken aback.

"Is that…?" Masamune trails off.

"Let's reap his soul!"

Another Bey shoots straight towards Destroyer, sending a slicing wave towards the heavily armored Bey. Destroyer is sent flying backwards, its Bey spirit collapsing. Masamune and Dashan spin around to face the two newcomers.

"It's Nile and Bones!" Masamune identifies the two figures standing on the railing of a bridge.

"Looks we got here just in time." Nile smirks.

"Can't take care of yourself without Gingka around?" Bones taunts, directing her barb at Masamune. The Japanese blader growls, eyes narrowing.

~("~) (~")~

Two Beys are sent flying and collide heavily into a nearby brick wall. They land back onto the ground, wobbling.

"Virgo!"

"Sagittario!"

"Special Move: Tempestuous Whirlwind Sword!" Chi-Yun shouts, showing off some martial arts moves while doing so. A large, red lizard appears out of the Chinese blader's Bey with an explosion of pink light. It tilts its scaly head back and roars.

"Special Move: Double Slumdog Driver!" Selen and Enzo synchronize. Their two Beys soar high up into the sky before spinning around one another, creating a spiraling vortex. The force drives away Chi-Yun Bey beast, dissipating it.

"Dark Bull!" a familiar voice calls out.

"Huh?" Kenta and the Chinese team gasp.

"Say what?!" the Garcia siblings look surprised.

"Red Horn Uppercut!" A red-orange bull charges into the battle and sends Selen's and Enzo's Beys flying with its horns. Benkei and Demure run up to join the others.

"Huh? Benkei! Demure!" Kenta shouts happily, turning to face the two.

"Ahh!" the Garcia siblings take off at the sight of the large bull towering over them.

"Yo! Sorry for the wait, Kenta!" Benkei waves. Demure smiles.

~("~) (~")~

"Could at least try to counter attack?" Jack taunts as he runs next to Gingka.

Damian cackles from the other side of the Japanese blader. "I think I'll take my revenge for the final battle today! Kerbecs!"

"What now?!" Gingka calls.

Hades Kerbecs zooms ahead of Pegasus, creating some distance between the two.

"Special Move: Hades Gate!"

A set of gigantic double doors appears dramatically in blast of yellow light.

"Pegasus!" Gingka braces himself. His Bey stops in front of the grey doors as a white horse with wings rises up in a flash of blue.

The doors of Hades Gate slowly open, chains shooting out and wrapping themselves around Pegasus.

"Leone!" another voice roars.

"Huh?" Damian and Jack wonder aloud.

"True Lion Gale Force Wall!" Leone's ripping tornado tears through the chains binding Pegasus.

"What?!"

"Whattaya know? Leone!" Gingka identifies the green Bey spinning in front of him.

"Gingka…!"

Said blader turns around to face his rival. "Kyoya!"

"Why are you having such a hard time with those bunch of clowns? Now then, kiddies. Want to come battle me next?" Kyoya challenges, Leone in hand.

"Chill out, we'll withdraw for today." Damian drawls arrogantly.

"Don't rush me." Jack smirks evilly. "Sooner or later, I'll carve you all into my works of art!"

The two bladers from Team Starbreaker snatch their Beys and take off down the street.

"Where are you going?!" Gingka exclaims.

~("~) (~")~

Dashan, Masamune, Nile, and Bones stand to one side, facing Julian and Argo as their Beys lock in an intense street battle.

"That's enough, Argo!" Enzo calls out.

"We're pulling out!" Ian shouts with Selen running next to him. The three Garcia siblings run past the fierce battle, jumping on overturned cars along the way.

"It's your lucky day!" Argo snarls as he and Julian grab their Beys and sprint off.

"Hey, stop right there! You think I'll let you escape?! … Huh?" Masamune runs forward only to be stopped by Nile's arm.

"Calm down, Masamune. There's no point in chasing them right now. First, we have to come up with a plan, okay?" Nile explains. Bones yawns next to Dashan.

"Uh… Nile… Bones… what are you two doing here anyways?"

"You talk too much. We'll explain later, let's catch up with the others!" Bones begins to push the three male bladers down the street.

~("~) (~")~

"So… why are you guys here?" Gingka asks the four ex-members of Wild Fang.

"That's what I was asking!" Masamune inputs.

"It's not like a came to save you or anything." Bones coughs to hide her snort. "It's because that goon, Ryuga, helped you out for no apparent reason. I thought something bigger might be going on, so I brought these guys with me to check it out." Kyoya explains, expertly ignoring Bones.

"Spiral Force…!" Gingnka breathes. "Ziggurat is a menace! Who would've guessed he was making something like that!"

"If something that powerful gets in the wrong hands, look out!" Madoka adds.

"Listen, we can't just leave it like this." Nile says.

"Right!" Kyoya nods.

"Hang in there, Toby! No Spiral Force is going to keep us from helping you! We'll smash through and rescue you! Whatever it takes! Count on it, right Kyoya? Right Gingka?" Masamune declares.

"Yeah!" Gingka affirms. "Ziggurat must be stopped! He can't just use our Beys the way he likes! Are we together everybody?!"

"Yeah!" Everyone raises their fists into the air- Bones does so, although a bit unwillingly. _This is slightly embarrassing…_

"Watch your back, Ziggurat!"

~("~) (~")~

"Absolutely not, I cannot allow you to go. This is no longer a problem that you can handle." Ryo Hagane, the Headquarter Chief for the WBBA in Japan. Everyone gasps in disbelief and slight irritation. They all stood together in a group in front of the red-haired adult.

"Why not, Dad?" Gingka protests. "We have to go!"

"We have to save Toby! He's one of my best friends!" Masamune adds.

"We're begging you! Please let us go!" Madoka pleads with the stubborn man.

"You all saw, did you? That Sprial Force… its power!" Ryo walks to the window and stares outside. "This is not something you all can take care of by yourselves, it's too dangerous!"

"That's why we can't just stand here and do nothing at all! Am I right, guys?" Gingka looks around at his friends for support.

Dashan nods his head. "Yes."

"Oh, yeah, they're going brown!" Mei-Mei exclaims.

Chao Xin coughs. "I think you mean, they're going down… Don't you, Mei-Mei?" Mei-Mei blushes and looks away in embarrassment. Bones sweatdrops.

"Whatever she means, this is a very serious issue. We at the WBBA will deal with it. Leave this to the adults!" Ryo cuts in.

"It doesn't matter if you're a kid or an adult." Gingka retorts.

"Oh?" Ryo raises a brow.

"Ziggurat is trying to use for evil, to make money! That monster even… he even used the World Championships that we fought in with all out might for his research!" Gingka squeezes his eyes shut to calm his fury.

"Yeah! That's right! We can't let him get away with that!" Benkei shouts.

"No way! This is a challenge to all honest bladers!" Niles adds.

"We can't let him get away with this… that would be a blow to all of our prides." Bones says.

"That's right!" everyone else cheers.

"Please, Dad!"

"We're begging you!"

"We have to stop him!"

"Toby needs our help!"

"I truly understand how you feel, believe me. But I can't let you go." Ryo sighs.

"Everyone, please look at this." Everyone turns towards Hikaru who shows something on a large screen.

"Huh?"

"This is Hades Incorporated's home base, Hades City. The entire town is made up of their facilities." she explains, a large picture of Hades City flashes up on the screen.

"Hikaru…" Ryo warns.

"I think you know, Director, to the public, Hades Incorporates is a normal company working towards energy development. And so far, they have not done anything illegal. Therefore, at this point, the WBBA does not have the authority to stop them."

"Huh…"

"So until they do anything against the law… Well, our hands are tied."

"Exactly! Then we'll be able to stop them!" Madoka exclaims.

"Heh, adults are always like that. They won't take action until something happens." Kyoya crosses his arms.

"But the fact is, we are bladers. We cannot ignore it when Beys are being misused. It is our duty to act!" Hikaru states firmly.

Everyone clamors to agree. All adding in their two cents to support Hikaru.

"What guts…" Ryo mumbles.

"Listen up, here's the deal. You see this tower? It's at the center of Hades City. Hades Tower is their headquarters. The spiral core that creates the fearsome energy, Spiral Force, is believed to be located in this town. And that means that Faust and Tempo are also there."

"His name isn't Faust, it's Toby!" Masamune butts in.

"We know! We also know this means we just need to head to that tower!" Gingka shouts.

"That's the plan."

"Okay, let's go now! We gotta save Toby!" Masamune grins.

"Yes!" Gingka affirms.

"Mhm!" Kenta nods.

"He has a one track mind, doesn't he? And a loud mouth…" Bones mutters. The ex-members of Wild Fang snicker.

"Okay, then. That's what we're going. But just remember, we're going to have to destroy all of their equipment." Kyoya smirks.

"That sounds good." Nile grins. Bones nods.

"B-B-Bull! I'm itching for a battle!" Benkei howls.

"They're going to feel out power, that's for sure!" Chao Xin places his hands on his waist.

"Let's go! We're in!" Dashan clenches his fingers into a fist.

"We'll show 'em what we're made of!" Mei-Mei cheers.

"If we all combine our powers, there's nothing we can't do!" Chi-Yun adds.

"So we can go, right, Dad?" Gingka demands.

"Coz we're going anyway!" Masamune yells determinedly.

"What can I say?" Ryo finally caves in.

"Wait a minute!" another voice cuts in.

"Huh?" Everyone turns to face the three people who had just entered the room. It was the three members of Team Excalibur: Wales, Sophie, and Klaus.

"We're going as well." Sophie finishes as the three of them stride in.

"You are?!" Gingka asks in surprise.

"We don't know why Julian has agreed to help people like these…" Wales tilts his head looking troubled.

"But we cannot stand by him as things are now." Klaus amends.

"We will fight alongside bladers like you who have their pride." Sophie says with conviction.

"Good stuff! Welcome aboard! Let's fight together!" Gingka flashes them a thumbs up.

"Hm…" Bones narrows her eyes in distrust.

"Huh… it looks like you kids can't be stopped, I guess." Ryo lowers his head in defeat.

"Yeah!"

"I see you're all prepared to face this. In this case, we have no choice but to let you give it a shot!"

"You really mean it, Dad?!" Gingka gapes.

"Yes, go get 'em!"

Everyone explodes into cheers of celebration and triumph.

"You must all put an end into Ziggurat's evil plans." Ryo instructs.

"Alright, let's go everyone!" Gingka shouts.

"Yeah!"

All the bladers run for the exit, exited for their new adventure. Madoka, however, stays behind.

"Madoka… aren't you coming?" Kenta glances behind him and notices the lone brunette.

Madoka offers him a closed-eye smile. "Sorry, go get started without me. I still have something to take care of first."

"Um, like what?" Kenta asks. Madoka doesn't reply and shoos them off.

"I wonder what that was about…" Gingka trails off.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: ... Meow. **_

_**Kyoya: Is that supposed to mean something?**_

_**Abunai: Not really... I was just watching Metal Fury... And that Johannes guy is sure a piece of work.**_

_**Kyoya: *scoffs* Don't get me started. My Leone is obviously the stronger cat compared to his Lynx. *getting heated up***_

_**Abunai: ... Cool. **_

_**Kyoya: *growls* You aren't paying attention at all, are you?!**_

_**Abunai: Nope~! *hides behind Nile* Save me, kind sir!**_

_***Nile sweatdrops and sighs exasperatedly***_

_**Nile: Whatever... I have no idea what you guys are talking about anyways...**_


	17. Chapter 16

_**Another late upload... *sweatdrops* I was... uh... walking my fish... Just a heads up, this chapter doesn't have much Bones action in it! I've decided to leave her with Nile instead of the other... *sighs* Ah... Love... Anyways, that means I'll be skipping all of the exciting action that happens inside of Hades City. Sorry, guys, if you were looking forward to it! Please read the ending note, I have something important to ask!**_

All eighteen bladers reached the rocky outskirts of Hades City. Gingka gasps at the sight before him.

"So that's Hades City!"

"Toby!"

"Right, let's do this!" Kyoya grins.

"B-B-Bull!" Benkei growls

"Huh? Benkei, are you shaking?" Kenta questions.

"I'm trembling with excitement! B-Bull!" he replies indignantly.

"Alright, let's go!" Nile exclaims.

"Yeah!" Demure agrees.

"Nothing's ventured, nothing's gained." Mei-Mei says knowledgably.

"Huh? You got it right!" Chao Xin notes with surprise.

"Alright! I'm ready to lead this charge. So follow me, everyone! Take no prisoners!" Benkei yells.

Demure gasps, spotting something ahead of them. "Get down!" Everyone ducks, barely avoiding a dozen or so Beys as they whizz past their heads. The Beys slam into the surrounding rocks, creating a dust filled explosion that sends everyone reeling.

"Hahaha!" an evil laughter draws their attention.

"It's the Garcias!" Gingka realizes, squinting up at the four silhouettes. Surrounding them at all sides are bladers from Hades City.

"You clown! Did you think we woulnd't expect you to try get into the city?" Argo sneers.

If you wanna go any further, you're going to have to get past us first!" Ian taunts.

"Get out of the way!" Gingka demands with a sweep of his arm.

"Not a chance!" Selen retorts.

"We've been waiting for a chance like this for a while. It's like this, Gingka. We're going to pay you back for what you did to us!" Argo growls.

"What a bunch of sore losers." Bones yawns. That Garcias snarl.

"You took away our only opportunity to make a better life for ourselves!" Ian adds.

"But if we defeat you, Ziggurat will give whatever we want in the whole world!" Selen steps forward.

"What?!"

"Getting even with and getting a big reward for it? Now that's a definition of a good deal!" Selen smirks.

"That real nice, kid!" Masamune scowls.

"Go, Ray Gil!" Argo launches his Bey. His siblings soon follow.

"Amazing, huh?" Enzo launches his Ray Gasher.

"Ray Cancer!" Selen shouts.

"Herculeo!" Ian announces.

"Alright, Ray Gil, Special Move: Keel Strangler!" Argo yells.

"Special Move: Blazer Smash!" Ian raises his arm.

"Special Move: Double Sumdog Driver!" Enzo and Selen synchronize.

The four Beys fly straight towards the gathered bladers, sending them scrambling in separate directions as well as crushing the rocks around them, cutting off their connections with one another.

Gingka coughs from the dust and shields his eyes. "Is everyone okay?"

"Gingka!" Kenta calls back. The dust slowly settles.

"Kenta! Hikaru! You aren't hurt, are you?"

"I-I'm okay." Kenta winces.

"I'm fine, too." Hikaru assures.

"What about everyone else, though?"

The three of them stare at the towering walls of rubble surrounding them.

"It looks like we've been cut off!" Hikaru gasps.

Beys are launched at the three trapped Japanese bladers, causing them to reel backwards in shock. Evil laughter bounces off the rocks.

"You missed, pal!" Gingka calls.

"Let's find out how long you can handle this attack, okay?" Argo snickers. "This time we will totally defeat you and rise to power along with Ziggurat!"

"I wouldn't count on it!" Gingka and Kenta pull out their Beys and attach them to their launchers in preparation.

"Let it rip!"

~("~) (~")~

Also finding themselves surrounded by rubble are the five ex-members of Team Wild Fang. They stand calmly as Ian and other bladers under Ziggurat's order stand above them on the rocks.

"I'm going to crush you guys into dust!" Ian proclaims arrogantly.

"Crush us, is that right? Hah! We'll do the crushing around here!" Kyoya retorts with a smirk. They launch their Beys simultaneously.

"Let it rip!"

A loud explosion follows the sound of Beys clashing fiercely with each other.

~("~) (~")~

"We'll have the last laugh, you can bet on it!" Selen grins down at the four trapped bladers confidently.

"I don't bet! Oh yeah, just bring it on! I'll return the favor you did me in the Beyblade World Championships!" Masamune scowls.

"Oh, is that right?" Selen suddenly looks at something in the distance behind Masamune and points towards it in alarm. "What… What's that?!"

Masamune doesn't take the bait. "No way! I won't fall for that trick again!" He launches his Bey quickly. "Go, Striker!"

~("~) (~")~

"Amazing, huh? Amazing, huh?" Enzo calls repetitively as he runs along the top of the ravine. The Chinese team follows quickly in pursuit.

"Go, Ray Gasher!" he yells, jumping high into the air. His Bey dives downwards at alarming speeds.

"Lacerta! Tempestuous Whirlwind Sword!" Chi-Yun kicks the air in front of him multiple times.

"Virgo, Moon Dragon Whirlwind Sword!" Chao Xin calls with rapid swipes of his arms.

"Aquario! Soaring Firebird!" Mei-Mei shouts.

"Zurafa! Storm Surge!" Dashan yells. Their four Beys collide head on with Enzo's in a large explosion. Ray Gasher is sent flying backwards from the force.

"Woah! You're not too bad! Amazing…!" Enzo says aloud, more to himself than to the others.

~("~) (~")~

Everyone gasps and glances around frantically as the earth beneath their feet begins to rumble and shake.

"Huh?!"

"What's that?!"

Hikaru pulls out her electronic book-like device, receiving a call from WBBA's Headquarters.

"Everyone, hurry!" Ryo warns.

"What is it, Director?" Hikaru asks.

"Hades City… as begun to rise!"

"What?!"

"What do you mean rise?!" Gingka demands.

"Unbelievable… Spiral Force is even more powerful than we imagined. If he escapes into space, it'll be all over! Hurry, Gingka!"

"Can everyone here me?" Gingka shouts above the noise and chaos. "Hades City has begun to move towards the city quickly!"

"What?! It's begun to move?!" Nile asks in disbelief.

"How can that be?" Demure questions no one in particular.

Bones frowns and pulls up her headphones. "It's moving loudly, that's for sure."

"We have to go, Kyoya, now!" Benkei warns his green-haired friend.

"Heh! I don't think so!" Ian laughs. "You see? You guys are trapped like rats!"

"Never corner a rat, pal. They can bite and it's an even worse idea to trap something like a lion!" Kyoya snarls. "Leone! True King Lion Tearing Blast!" A large tornado rips through the surrounding rubble, clearing a path for the trapped bladers.

"Wow!"

"Ah!"

"Awesome!"

"Alright!"

"Great…" Ian spits, clenching his fist.

"And I'm not done with you!"

"Huh?" Ian looks back down at Kyoya.

"I'll be back! And I'll give you a real battle! See ya!" The five of them sprint for the exit, Beys in hand.

"Where do you think you're going?! Get them!" Ian instructs.

"Let it rip!"

"Horuseus… Mystic Zone!" Nile shouts, clapping his hand together. A large yellow pillar blocks the incoming Beys in their tracks.

"Launch, launch, and launch! Keep launching!" Ian demands.

"As if we'd let you… Azrael! Heavenly Divine Judgment!" Bones grins mischievously as her Bey circles the ground quickly to gain speed before launching itself up the side of the ravine. Azrael zips around the enemy, too fast for the naked eye to see. A bright light slams into the ground, sending Ziggurat's henchmen flying.

"Hurry, Kyoya!" Benkei calls. "We'll take care of things over here!"

"But…" Kyoya hesitates.

"Move it!" Bones cuts him off firmly.

"Okay…!" Kyoya runs ahead towards Hades City.

~("~) (~")~

Masamune, Wales, Sophie, and Klaus head towards the exit.

"I won't let you get away!" Selen yells.

"I don't have time to battle with you, now! I've got a flying city to catch!" Masamune retorts.

"I don't think so…!" The opposing bladers launch their Beys.

"Ah!"

"Capricorn! Claw of the Storm: First!" Klaus shouts. Capricorn sends them flying with a raging whirlwind. "Leave this to me! Just go!"

"No way, Klaus!" the other three say together.

"C'mon! I'm just trying to reach another level, have a little faith. I can do this!"

"Okay! Thank you, Klaus!" Masamune turns and heads towards the exit again, Sophie and Wales not far behind.

"Take care of Julian for me!"

"Gr! Get them!" Selen orders, pointing at the three ex-members of Team Excalibur and Masamune.

"Throw anything you want at me! I'll never back down!" Klaus glares unflinchingly at the incoming Beys.

~("~) (~")~

"Hurry up!" Kyoya calls as Hades City lifts off from the ground. "Hurry! Look there!"

"You can't run anymore!" Enzo chuckles. He and other Bladers under Ziggurat surround the four Chinese bladers.

"We were just about there, too!" Chao Xin groans in defeat.

"Chao Xin, Mei-Mei!" Chi-Yun says.

"Yeah!"

"Let's do it!"

The three of them were sharing some sort of secret message that Dashan had no part of.

"What gives?" Dashan asks curiously. Chao Xin grabs him under the arms.

"It'll work!" Chao Xin grins. Mei-Mei and Chi-Yun kneel on either side of them.

"1… 2… 3…!" They toss the two of them high into the air.

"Ah! … Chao Xin?" Dashan is still confused as to what is going on.

"The rest is up to you!" Chao Xin smiles. Dashan's eyes widen as he finally gets it.

"Take care of my friends!" he calls before using Chao Xin as a launch pad and kicking himself off towards Hades City.

"Grab hold!" Kyoya stretches out his arm. Dashan grabs onto it and attaches himself safely to the rising city.

"Gingka, hurry!" Hikaru shouts.

"I am!"

"I won't let you leave! Keel Strangler!" Argo shouts. Gingka turns around and launches his Bey in retaliation.

"Pegasus! Star Booster Attack!"

Gingka sends Argo and Ray Gil reeling backwards.

"How's that?" His triumph is short lived as more of Ziggurat's henchmen surround the Japanese blader.

"Aquario!" Hikaru finally releases her Bey. "Aquario, Infinite Assault! A large tidal wave crashes into the opponents and sends them swimming down the ravine.

"Hikaru!" Gingka gasps.

"Leave things here to me, Gingka!" Hikaru replies. Kenta runs up to join her.

"I'll help, too! Okay, get going, Gingka!"

"Kenta! Thank you! Be careful!" Gingka turns and runs towards Hades City in a last ditch effort to catching the escaping doctor.

"You too, pal!"

"Hurry up, Gingka!" Kyoya yells over the sound of machinery.

"Run hard! You can make it!" Masamune encourages, hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice.

"No you can't!" Argo taunts nastily.

Ray Gil bursts from the ground in front of Gingka causing the red-haired blader to stop in his tracks.

"Woah! What now?" Gingka asks, tilting his head up to follow the path of Argo's Bey.

"Hahaha! You fell asleep, Gingka! Ray Gil hasn't been done in yet! It moved under the sand and circled right in front of you! Now I have you...!" Ray Gil's Bey beast, the gigantic skeleton of a plesiosaurus plummets straight towards Gingka unprotected form.

"Gingka!" Dashan calls worriedly.

"Gingka!" Masamune echoes.

"I win! I win! Ha!" Argo laughs triumphantly.

"Libray! Inferno Blast!" another voice enters the scene. A fiery green blast stops Ray Gil in its attack. The large skeletal monster rears back as the gigantic geyser of sonic vibrations draws it closer.

"No way!" Argo shouts.

"Huh?" Gingka inhales sharply.

"Eagle! Metal Wing Smash!" yet another voice cuts in. An eagle Bey beast soars in from above and neatly slashes the plesiosaurs in half.

"Woah!" Gingka shields his face from the raining debris.

"Gingka!" a familiar feminine voice calls from behind said blader.

"Gingky!"

"Gingka!"

Gingka turns to find Yu, Tsubasa, and Madoka waving at him cheerily from the back of a truck.

"Hey, hi!"

"Thanks for waiting!"

"Sorry for the wait!"

"Tsubasa! Yu!" Gingka shouts joyfully, sprinting towards his friends. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yep! Never felt better!" Yu laughs.

"Gingka! We're going to fight with you, too!" Tsubasa waves.

"I'm so glad you two are better!" Tsubasa helps Gingka up onto the truck.

"Quickly! We don't have much time left!" Madoka warns the driver, who is ironically the Japanese DJ.

"Step on it!" Gingka adds.

They watch as Hades City climbs higher and higher into the clear, blue sky.

"We won't make it!" Gingka growls in frustration.

"Circle around to the other side!" Tsubasa directs.

"Hurry! We're almost there!" Madoka says after the truck makes a few sharp turns and continues to speed towards the gigantic floating piece of metal.

The truck parks slightly ahead of the moving city. Tsubasa flings a hook tied to his waist with a rope so it snags on the underside of the city just as it's passing overhead. He lifts the four of them up into the city. The Japanese DJ flashes them a smile and a thumbs up.

"Hah!" Everyone still on the ground cheers as the four of them make it aboard. Bones laughs and hugs Nile around the waist exuberantly. Nile smiles softly and wraps an arm around her shoulders as they watch Kyoya and the other drift off into the distance.

"Give it all you've got, guys!"

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: Listen up! As you all now, this story is going to end pretty soon coz that's as far Metal Masters goes up to... Not my fault! *holds up hands innocently***_

_**Kyoya: I'm pretty sure everyone knows that... **_

_**Abunai: *ignores him* But! There is like one episode where all of Team Wild Fang's members show up again in Metal Fury! *fangirls* **_

_**Kyoya: *sighs* What she wants to ask is: Do you want her to include an extra chapter for that episode?**_

_**Abunai: *stops squealing* Yeah, what he said! Comment and tell me if you want Bones to appear in Metal Fury! *peace sign* Thanks, Kyoya! **_

_**Kyoya: *shakes head***_


	18. Chapter 17

_**MIDTERMS WERE A BI... BISCUIT! Yeah... I'm supah sorry for the supah late upload, guys! I finally finished midterms so I'll be wrapping up this story quickly~ I will definitely be posting more stories, so look out for those, too! ^.^ Happy readings! Hehehe...**_

"We should follow!" Chao Xin suggests.

"As if we'll let you!" a blader from Hades Corporation cuts in. He and the other bladers all raise their Beys threateningly. "You all are staying here where we can see you!"

The Chinese members trade knowing glances, all three of them coming to the same conclusion.

"Ready, Mei-Mei?" Chi-Yun grins.

"I was shown ready!" Mei-Mei replies determinedly.

"Uh… don't you mean born ready?" Chao Xin sweatdrops. Nevertheless, the three of them raise their launchers in unison.

"Chi-Yun isn't going to stay down without a fight!" Chi-Yun asserts.

"Let it rip!"

"Lacerta!"

"Virgo!"

"Aquario!"

The three Chinese Beys battle valiantly against Ziggurat's henchmen but are soon overwhelmed by sheer number.

"Oh no, Virgo!" Chao Xin shouts as his Bey is hit repeatedly from all sides.

"Lacerta… Tempestuous Whirlwind Sword!" Chi-Yun yells, taking a martial arts stance.

"I don't think so!" another blader sneers. A wave of Beys overwhelm the short Chinese blader's Bey, causing Chi-Yun's Bey beast to fall.

"Aquario, go help!" Mei-Mei cries anxiously, watching as her team members fall.

"You can stay where you are, missy!" Three Beys collide simultaneously with Aquario, pushing it straight into a large protruding rock formation. Mei-Mei squeaks in surprise.

"Do we have to help them…? So troublesome…" a feminine voice drawls lazily off to the side.

"We're forming a temporary alliance, besides, they're in our way." a cool voice replies.

"It would be in our best interest to follow Kyoya's progress just in case." Another speaks up. It is followed by an exasperated sigh.

"Let it rip!"

Chao-Xin gasps as a flying projectile appears from nowhere and knocks away all of the opposing Beys with a bright flash of gold light. "Horuseus! Mystic Zone!" The Bey comes to a stop next to Virgo. Chao Xin looks up in surprise, spotting the African blader standing across from him.

"Nile!" Chao Xin states in surprise. "Uh… thanks, I guess…"

Nile his head. "Go, Horuseus!" His Bey slams into the approaching wave of Beys, knocking most of them into the surrounding terrain. They leave large impressive dents in the rocks.

"Virgo, follow him!" Chao Xin regains control and helps Nile defeat the rest of the bladers.

"Azrael… Special Move: Heavenly Divine Judgment!"

Mei-Mei sighs in relief as the attacking Beys are blasted away in a beam of blindingly bright light.

"Don't let any of them get away, Azrael!" Bones orders from her perch on top of an overhanging rock. Azrael zips off to destroy the remaining Beys, leaving Aquario shakily spinning.

"W-Wow… Thanks!" Mei-Mei calls, waving her hand cheerily. Bones frowns slightly, causing Mei-Mei to falter.

"I'm seriously unimpressed with the female population nowadays..." Bones shakes her head slowly.

Mei-Mei flounders. "What do you mean by that?!" she sputters indignantly. Bones ignores the steaming Chinese girl and jumps off to find Nile. "H-Hey! I wasn't done talking to you!"

On the way, Bones suddenly ran into a Bey battle. A Bey spun right into her boot before toppling over.

"Hey!" someone calls angrily. Bones whips around to face him, glowering darkly. The offender stutters a bit in fear at the irritated female blader. "U-Uh…"

"Bones! Over here!" Demure shouts. He stands next to Chi-Yun, dwarfing the small Chinese blader. Bones casually saunters over to the two, carelessly stepping on a few Beys along the way.

"You finished assisting Shortie, here?" Bones asks with a taunting smirk.

"Chi-Yun is not short!" the Chinese blader retorts hotly. Demure chuckles nervously.

"What do you call yourself then? Vertically challenged?" Bones challenges. Chi-Yun growls before turning away childishly with his arms crossed. Bones rolls her eyes.

"Anyway, let's get moving. This is a drag…" she commands Demure. The timid African blader meekly nods his head and follows his female friend.

"Where's Mei-Mei?" Chi-Yun huffs, having to trot to keep up with Bones' quickened pace.

"She's sulking back there or something." Bone shrugs offhandedly.

"If you did something to Chi-Yun's friend, Chi-Yun will-" he starts. He abruptly stops to avoid running into Bones' back.

"You'll what? Battle me? Maybe you'll at least pose as a challenge to me…" she sneers before looking him up and down. "Then again, probably not." Bones continues her pace with Demure trailing behind. Chi-Yun frowns before turning around to find his missing friend.

Bones and Demure catch up to Nile and Chao Xin as well as a slightly familiar tall figure. Bones' dark lips curve upwards into a childish giggle. Her long, pale-blonde hair streams out behind her as she suddenly sprints towards her favorite person, leaving Demure behind.

"Nile!" she purrs, jumping onto the unsuspecting Egyptian's back. Nile staggers forward a bit before catching himself and placing his hands on Bones' legs to keep her up. Bones promptly leans forward to peck Nile's cheek, causing him to smile slightly. The third figure looks away in slight embarrassment while Chao Xin seems unperturbed.

"Huh, I didn't know you two were together…" he simply comments. Bones buries her face into Nile's hair with a satisfied smirk. She turns to the third person with a curious look.

"You're… Klaus from Excalibur, right?" she questions. The tall figure nods his head. Chi-Yun and Mei-Mei arrive not too long after only to gape at Bones' position on Nile.

"We're going to follow Hades City… are the rest of you coming with us?" Chao Xin grins.

"Yes." Klaus replies. Nile nods, his head rubbing against the bottom of Bones' chin. She grumbles as Nile gently sets her down on her feet.

"Let's go!" Nile says. Everyone walks briskly in the direction where they had last seen Hades City disappear to.

"I see them!" Demure informs the others as they travel. The others who didn't know about Demure's excellent vision squint into the distance to find the flying city themselves.

"I don't see anything!" Mei-Mei exclaims.

"Chi-Yun doesn't either." said blader adds.

"Demure has extremely good eye sight. He can see things at a much farther distance than the rest of us can." Nile explains.

"So don't bother." Bones snorts.

The seven of them stop in front of a tall, impending wall of rock blocking there path.

"What are we going to do?" Chao Xin asks, hands on his hips as he leans back to see if he could find the very top.

"We can't go around it, it'd take too long!" Mei-Mei turns to look for an entrance of some sort.

"… Really? You have Beys for a reason." Bones sighs exasperatedly.

"Have you seen how thick this wall is?" Mei-Mei scowls. "Let's see you try, then!" Bones smirks at the challenge.

"Let it rip!"

Azrael blasts from it launcher in a beam of white light. It smashes head on into the earthen wall, blasting a large hole for them to pass through. Bones snatches up her Bey with a triumphant grin. She glances at the Chinese team's shocked faces before gesturing the others along.

"Showing off, eh?" Nile chuckles amusedly, gazing fondly- and a bit proudly- down at Bones.

"You know it." she chortles.

~("~) (~")~

"Ah!" Demure suddenly bursts out loud as they continue their way.

"What is it?" Nile asks in concern.

"Hades City… it's dropping!"

"Dropping?!" Chi-Yun and Mei-Mei echo.

"Yes, Hades City seems to be dropping in altitude." Demure reports.

"Alright! That must mean that everything is going well inside!" Chao Xin cheers along with his Chinese teammates.

"They're being too slow…" Bones grumbles with an almost invisible relieved smile across her lips.

"It is also dangerous if all of that weight goes crashing to the ground with them inside. Hopefully, they'll finish safely." Nile reminds them.

~("~) (~")~

"There they are!" Mei-Mei shrieks, pointing to the distance. True to her word, the others could finally catch a glimpse of the metallic gleam of Hades City.

"Soemthing's not right…" Bones mutters thoughtfully.

"Huh?" Everyone turned to face her curiously.

"What do you mean?" Chao-Xin asks.

"Bones is right! Hades City isn't moving!" Nile points out. The others gasped as they neared the city. Hades City was in fact floating out at sea.

"Woah…" Even Klaus looked shocked at the scene before them.

"It's a surprise that thing is even floating!" Mei-Mei comments as the seven bladers stand at the edge of the cliff towering over the shoreline.

"Chi-Yun agrees." Chi-Yun nods.

"Look! Up there!" Chao Xin shouts, pointing at the tallest building in the middle of Hades City. Out of the spire flew a large, burning ball of light. It rocketed out of the top of the tower, quickly disappearing from sight as it soars higher and higher into space.

"What is that?!" Klaus demands.

"I think… I think it's Pegasus!" Demure identifies the mysterious projectile. Everyone stares up in awe.

The roar of engines and the buzzing of choppers pull their attention away from the sky and towards the water. Boats and helicopters began to arrive at the scene, rescuing the stranded bladers and occupants.

"They did it!" Mei-Mei shouts in glee, jumping in place. Chao Xin laughs along.

"Yes, it seems so." Chi-Yun crosses his arms with a content smile.

Nile smoothly wraps his arm around Bones' petite waist. "I knew they could do it."

"Never doubted them one bit." Bones shrugs.

~("~) (~")~

_**Abunai: *reminiscing* Ah... only one more chapter to go! **_

_**Kyoya: *mumbles* Finally...**_

_**Abunai: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! **_

_**Kyoya: *crosses arms* I don't have to tell you.**_

_**Abunai: Whatever! *smirks* I will be writing a story that takes place in Metal Fury, though... So I'll get to write more about you, Yo-Yo! *pinches Kyoya's cheeks***_

_**Kyoya: *growls* My name is not Yo-Yo! **_

_***Abunai laughs mockingly***_


End file.
